A Community-Academic Model for Diabetes and Colorectal Cancer Education and Health Awareness in African-American Churches

Health ministries in African American churches have gained popularity in the last few years, and research and medical advances have improved the lives of most Americans. However, African Americans continue to have higher complication rates and overall mortality due to diabetes and colorectal cancer as compared to Whites. This presentation will describe a unique partnership developed by an academic setting, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and community members in Jefferson County, Alabama. The purpose of this partnership is to reduce/eliminate health disparities between African Americans and whites in Jefferson County with regard to diabetes and colorectal cancer. Using a community-based participatory approach and following the Empowerment Model, a coalition made up of volunteers (Healthy Congregations Healthy Communities) were charged with development and implementation of a community action plan with measurable objectives, sound methodology, and an evaluation plan. The coalition developed and implemented a culturally-relevant, spiritually-based training manual designed to train congregational health leaders in local churches about cancer/diabetes information and health care access. The curriculum had two major components: knowledge (e.g., colorectal cancer, diabetes, nutrition) and skills (e.g., communication, problem solving skills). Coalition members assisted in the writing of the curriculum and delivery of training sessions. This presentation will focus on implementation of the community action plan, development of the training manuals, and obtained results as well as lessons learned.