Effect of Spirit Health Education (SHE) Circles: Evaluation of a health promotion intervention designed specifically for African American lesbian and bisexual women (LBW)

The Spirit Health Education Circle (SHE-Circle) program is an early detection/cancer education intervention aimed at African American lesbians and bisexual women (LBW). The development of the education program links aspects of African spirituality with information on health and wellness within context of cancer prevention. The design also builds on recent findings from the only national survey of the health practices of African American LBW. SHE-Circle begins with a series of educational sessions that provide support for healthy living by creating a community of women who take ownership and responsibility for their health as well as the health of their sisters. The curriculum design also incorporates healing and expressive arts therapies. Designed to promote the establishment of ongoing support groups, SHE Circles serve as a safe space where African American LBW can learn about pertinent health information, ask questions, share information, obtain resources, and provide support for each other. The project's goal is to increase adoption of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening, healthy lifestyle choices (such as proper nutrition and exercise), and smoking cessation among African American LBW. During the fourth year of the project, SHE Circle evaluation strategies are assessing the implementation and replication of SHE Circles. Evaluation questions include these areas of focus: (1) how appealing and/or compelling is the African spirituality design, (2) what are useful short-term measures of effect, (3) what are effective formats for on-going SHE Circles, (4) what role does the ‘Tuskegee effect' play in implementing a health intervention aimed at African American LBW.