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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

William L. Scheider, PhD, Social and Preventative Medicine, SUNY Buffalo, Farber Hall 268 G, Buffalo, NY 14214, 716-829-2975, wls3@buffalo.edu

Lack of access to health care includes lack of access to primary prevention services, including health promotion programs. At the same time, low-income populations are disproportionately affected by preventable health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, obesity, and diabetes. Faith communities are ideally positioned to provide primary prevention services through health ministries within and among congregations. Together, they also can create a powerful organizational structure to advocate for change in the larger community around them.

Congregational health ministries and parish nursing are spreading rapidly in the Buffalo, N.Y. area, including the inner city. Services currently provided include linking parishioners to health services, conducting screening programs, and sponsoring health education programs. To meet a growing need for educational resources, the author is developing a health promotion program involving diet, exercise, and stress-reduction meditation that can be adapted to the particular needs of diverse faith communities. Representatives from participating faith communities will be trained how to implement the program and guided in modifying it to achieve the goals their congregations have established. Community organizing to improve access to resources, such as low-cost, nutritious food and safe places for exercise and recreation, will be emphasized. Participating congregations can be linked through denominational structures and ecumenical and interfaith organizations to work with other community groups and with government to achieve their goals. This grass-roots approach is designed to empower not only individuals to improve their health, but also communities to work together to improve the health of all of their members.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participant will be able to

• List and describe three advantages faith communities have as sites for health promotion programs.
• Describe the means by which a train-the-trainer format can be used for needs assessment, establishing goals and objectives, and tailoring a health promotion program to meet the needs of particular faith communities.
• Describe a strategy for organizing faith communities to improve not only the health of individual members, but also the ability of the surrounding community to support healthy lifestyles.
• Describe an effective, but non-obstrusive method for evaluating health promotion programs in faith communities.

Keywords: Primary Prevention, Religion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation