Health Ministers: Destigmatizing bladder health through community education

issues: Bladder problems are common and may inhibit physical activity and increase risk of falls, social isolation, and becoming homebound. Stigma around bladder issues leads to low clinical reporting, preventing appropriate care and hindering research needed to better understand prevention and treatment strategies.

Increased bladder health knowledge may reduce stigma. However, sociocultural barriers and medical mistrust can impede education—especially among hard-to-reach groups who often have disproportionate disease burden. As cultural key holders, health ministers have access and influence to overcome barriers, guide provision of culturally competent care, and adjust stigmatizing social norms around bladder issues. Health minister is a self-adopted title and includes any community influencer who engages in public health promotion, such as faith leaders who run health fairs.

description: To engage this influencer group in bladder health education, a guide was developed to prepare health ministers for educating their community and promoting bladder health behaviors (including seeking care). The guide was developed in collaboration with health ministers to ensure it is accessible and relevant to the community.

Perceived quality and efficacy among faith leaders and reported impact on community member bladder health knowledge and behaviors will be assessed through a pilot project.

lessons learned: Collaborating with health ministers on development of the guide was essential to creating en effective tool that resonates with the target audience. Additional lessons learned through completion of the pilot project will be reported. 

recommendations: Resources to support health ministers in bladder health education should continue to be developed and assessed.

Learning Areas:

Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
Describe the implications of bladder health stigma on clinical care and research. Discuss the role of health ministers in bladder health education and stigma reduction. Explain the importance of collaborating with health minister on development of materials for a health minister audience.

Keyword(s): Chronic Disease Prevention, Faith Community

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Jenna Norton, MPH is responsible for kidney and urologic science translation at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. She has more than 5 years of experience in public health communication, addressing chronic health conditions including diabetes, kidney disease, and urinary incontinence. Jenna received her Master of Public Health degree at the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in human nutrition at the University of Florida.
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.

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