142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

304502
Implementation of Evidence Based HIV Interventions Into Church Settings for Young Adult Women

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Sunday, November 16, 2014

Jennifer Stewart, PhD, RN , School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Background: Implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into community settings is vital to impeding the spread of HIV among African Americans. Despite the prominent role the African American church has in the health of young African American women, it remains underutilized as a forum for implementation of (EBIs) to prevent HIV. The purpose of this study is to examine the barriers and facilitators and adaptation of an implementation of an HIV EBI into a church setting for African American women ages 18-25. 

Methods: This is a mixed method, multilevel study using interviews, focus groups and surveys of 4 pastors, 34 young adult women and 100 congregants in four churches.

Results: Barriers included pastor’s discomfort in distributing condoms and lack of education regarding HIV/AIDS. Facilitators included the strong presence of the church as a trusted institution for delivery of health interventions, which is also situated in communities with the highest HIV risk. Implementation of the intervention was supported by adaptation to fit church context and integration of health professionals.

Conclusions: A primary product included an adapted HIV intervention suitable for church settings. These results provide strategies for the implementation of HIV EBIS in churches with nurses at the forefront of facilitating this process. Findings contribute significantly to development of community based health policies related to implementation of health interventions and to the understanding of the implementation process in systems that face significant contextual barriers. These findings can be applied to other organizations and systems to promote implementation and dissemination of EBIs.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related nursing

Learning Objectives:
Describe the role of adaptation in implementation of evidence based HIV interventions for young adult women. Describe the organizational level barriers and facilitators implementation of evidence-based interventions.

Keyword(s): HIV/AIDS, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My research is focused on community-based approaches to the development and implementation of multi-level HIV prevention, testing and linkage to care interventions in African American communities at risk.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

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.