Development of an Academic-Faith Community Partnership for Congregational Health

Background

Academic-faith community partnerships can be strategic tools for addressing health disparities, a top American health policy objective. To be effectively implemented according to principles of community engagement and coalition-building for health, it is necessary to identify opportunities and barriers at the congregational level. Understanding faith leaders’ definitions of health, perceptions of health issues, and their approach to health in their congregations are essential.

Methods

We employ in-depth interviews with faith leaders as part of a larger qualitative, grounded theory based study about health in congregations. An estimated 25 faith leaders (est. 60% African American) in Jefferson County, Alabama are recruited via respondent-driven sampling. As part of the interview, faith leaders are asked about interest in collaborative partnerships, engagement with researchers to develop health strategies, and how researchers may contribute to congregational health programming. Qualitative data are analyzed using line-by-line and focused coding strategies with constant comparison method in accordance with grounded theory principles.

Findings

Most participants express interest in discussing health with peers and researchers and share a willingness to work with researchers to tailor health promotion strategies. Participants emphasize the value of developing sustainable relationships, not merely one-time interactions, for the purpose of sharing information, expertise, and effective health initiatives.

Conclusions

The process and framework for developing a partnership, including congregational-level challenges/successes will be outlined. Faith leaders’ perspectives on health directly affect this process. Health policy implications for understanding faith leaders and expanding partnerships between academia and faith communities will be discussed.