162272 Application of stages of change and communication for social change in the provision of community capacity building assistance for African American clergy implementing HIV prevention and testing programs

Monday, November 5, 2007: 11:30 AM

Jacqueline Hampton, PhD, MS , HIV National Capacity Building Assistance, CDC Funded, Metropolitan Interdenominational Church First Response Center, Nashville, TN
     
Issue: The role of African-American clergy must be better leveraged to encourage use of HIV prevention services thus curbing the disproportionate rate of HIV infection within African-American communities. Hindered by their perceptions of HIV/AIDS, many African American clergy are hesitant to assist in curtailing HIV infections. African-American clergy HIV capacity building interventions must be designed to spur clergy to greater action by addressing theology, capacity and responsiveness.

Project: Application of the Communication for Social Change (CFSC) and Transtheoretical models enabled Metropolitan Interdenominational Church Technical Assistance Network, (MICTAN – A CDC funded CBA Provider) to develop individualized CBA plans that address willingness, readiness, and belief systems of clergy members' capacity to increase community access to and use of prevention and testing services. The models use data presentation and community dialogue to identify clergy roles and encourage commitment to collective action. Additionally, the Transtheoretical Model clearly depicts the correlation between CBA intervention and clergy movement from pre-contemplation to sustained HIV prevention and testing involvement.

Lessons learned: March 1, 2005 through August 2006, MICTAN conducted 13 CBA workshops with 266 clergy in attendance. In less than two years, 16 clergy reported sustained HIV prevention, testing and advocacy reaching a population exceeding 4,000 people.

Recommendation: Traditional means of approaching “pre-contemplating clergy” must be reconsidered when seeking African-American clergy participation in HIV prevention efforts. CFSC significantly enhances development of successful CBA strategies for engaging, training and spurring African American clergy collective action in order to facilitate increased HIV prevention and testing for high risk African Americans.

Learning Objectives:
1. Discuss the theory and usefulness of the Communication for Social Change and Transtheorectical Models in the provision of HIV capacity building assistance for African American Clergy seeking to increase access and use of HIV prevention and testing services for at-risk and undiagnosed African Americans. 2. Identify role(s)of African American Clergy in increasing access and use of HIV Prevention services for African Americans. 3. Evaluate "best practices" in utilizing Communication for Social Change and Transtheoretical models in providing HIV capacity building assistance for African American Clergy and assessing their level of involvement in increasing access to HIV prevention and testing services for African Americans.

Keywords: African American, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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