Indentifying community health promotion resources and interests within faith-based organizations

Faith based organizations (FBOs) have been recognized as important venues for health promotion initiatives within medically underserved communities because of their status within the community. Despite their history of collaborations with academic institutions in community based participatory research and health promotion programs, the data regarding the extent their current of resources and interest in health promotion programs are sparse. A telephone survey was administered to 115 FBOs in 3 New York City neighborhoods with a history of low influenza immunization rates to identify the congregation's health concerns and interest in developing health ministries. Twenty-six percent of the FBOs stated that they had already had an established health ministry, while 45% expressed interest in developing a health ministry. Less than ten percent claimed to have nurses as part of their congregation and less than 17% had contact with the local health department. Most FBOs expressed interest in common health promotions programs and 60% expressed interest in providing on-site influenza vaccination programs within their organization. Some evidence suggests that FBOs with health programs may improve the health of their congregants but evidence of their influence on broader community health is remains elusive. Tapping into the power of congregations can be beneficial to improving the translation of health promotion models within the community.