Innovative health education programs in communities of color: Utilizing a community participatory model to promote health and decrease disparities, the Philadelphia Ujima experience

Introduction: The Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia Ujima project (an Advancing System Improvements to Support Targets for Healthy People 2010 (ASIST- 2010) grant funded program) utilizes a community participatory framework to address health care access, heart health, diabetes prevention and control, fitness and cancer screening in underserved communities. This program provides an innovative approach to health education that addresses the disproportionate rates of chronic diseases specifically in African American communities. Methods: Community sites were recruited to participate in the project. Sites completed a capacity assessment, identified priority areas and tailored programming to accommodate site specific logistics. Sites worked with a health education committee to develop innovative ideas for programming and with a data and evaluation committee to determine evaluation goals and the assessment instrument used. Baseline and quarterly follow up assessments were implemented. Results: Interactive tailored programming has shown improvements in knowledge, awareness of objectives and a statistically significant increase in health behaviors such as routine care and health screenings, consumption of fruits and vegetables and utilizing the food label to make healthier food choices. Sites also identified institutional barriers and developed health promotion projects to help disseminate and expand the messages to others in their community. Conclusions/ Lessons Learned – Effective community/academic partnerships using community participatory approaches embedding principles of cultural humility can aid in improving health behaviors and promoting health. Lessons learned will be used to develop a replicable model of advocacy to promote health of communities.