Issue: Deaths by firearm suicide remain a leading cause of death among military service members. While existing prevention efforts target individuals and communities, fewer initiatives address broader societal and structural factors. Military chaplains serve as trusted spiritual, emotional, and crisis support providers, yet their role in firearm suicide prevention in the military remains under-explored.

Description: This study engaged an expert review panel of five active-duty Air Force chaplains to assess under-recognized societal and structural factors contributing to deaths by firearm suicide in military communities. Using the nominal group technique, chaplains reviewed a list of structural and societal risk factors informed by the National Violent Death Reporting System dataset and existing literature. The chaplains provided insights into missing, overlooked, or military-specific determinants. The goal was to explore how chaplains' unique perspectives can inform policy recommendations at the societal (DoD) level.

Lessons Learned: Military chaplains identified key systemic barriers, including stigma around mental health, lack of confidential resources, and military culture. Chaplains reported firsthand experience addressing service members' firearm access concerns, often serving as confidants in crises where formal behavioral health services may be inaccessible or stigmatized. Results highlight the importance of innovative, non-traditional, community-centered approaches in military suicide prevention, particularly at the structural and policy levels.

Recommendations: Integrate military chaplains into public health firearm suicide prevention efforts by leveraging their expertise in crisis response and suicide ideation. Expand chaplain training, incorporating public health strategies alongside faith-based training. Develop policy recommendations informed by chaplains' lived experiences to address structural barriers in military suicide prevention. Encourage collaborations between chaplains, public health officials, health providers, and military leadership to enhance systemic support for all service members, not just those at risk. By centering chaplains as key public health partners, this work underscores the need for multi-sectoral solutions to military firearm suicide prevention.

BACKGROUND: Religiosity plays a complex role in shaping health behaviors, especially during public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. While religious institutions can foster trust and disseminate health information, they have also been linked to skepticism toward scientific guidance. Understanding how religiosity influences precautionary behaviors—and how this relationship is shaped by belief systems and political identity—is essential for informing culturally responsive health communication. This study assesses whether religious attendance is associated with COVID-19 precautionary behaviors and whether this relationship is mediated by perceived risk and belief in science. Secondary analyses examine belief in divine protection, health literacy, and political affiliation as explanatory factors.

METHODS: Data are from the Ipsos Public Affairs COVID-19 Multi Wave Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults (n = 2,523). Religious attendance was measured ordinally. The primary outcome—social distancing—was operationalized as a standardized composite score combining public outings and close contacts. Mediators include a validated COVID-19 risk perception scale and a belief in science scale constructed from trust in scientists and belief in evolution. Secondary mediators include belief in divine protection and knowledge about asymptomatic transmission. Preliminary analyses used multivariable regression and simple mediation models with bootstrapped standard errors; structural equation modeling is planned. All models adjust for age, gender, education, income, and marital status.

RESULTS: Preliminary regression analyses indicate that higher religious attendance is significantly associated with lower adherence to social distancing, lower perceived COVID-19 risk, and decreased belief in science. Both perceived risk and belief in science independently predict greater social distancing. Results support a mediation framework in which religiosity indirectly influences behavior through beliefs.

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of partnering with religious communities through messaging that respects faith-based worldviews while reinforcing evidence-based practices. Understanding how belief systems shape perceptions of risk and science can support more culturally grounded public health communication.

ISSUE: Tobacco waste pollution is a growing public health and environmental concern, particularly in underserved communities. Faith-based organizations and student-led initiatives play a critical role in addressing these challenges by integrating health advocacy, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. This project examines the impact of tobacco waste in Oakland, California, through student-led research and cleanup efforts.

DESCRIPTION: In partnership with EC Reems Community Services and Trinity Economic Development, students conducted a systematic tobacco waste survey at two high-traffic locations—Lake Merritt and the 8400 Block of MacArthur Boulevard—between April and August 2024. The study involved weekly data collection, categorization, and quantification of tobacco waste, including cigarette butts, cigars, vape pens, and marijuana waste. Additionally, students assessed local smoke shop compliance with California’s flavored tobacco ban. Findings were analyzed to determine the prevalence and impact of tobacco waste, with recommendations for faith-based interventions and policy advocacy.

LESSONS LEARNED: The study revealed that 69% of collected waste consisted of cigarette butts, with significant quantities of other tobacco-related litter contributing to environmental degradation. Additionally, gaps in smoke shop compliance with flavored tobacco regulations suggest the need for increased oversight and enforcement. Faith-based organizations proved instrumental in mobilizing student volunteers, fostering civic responsibility, and bridging the gap between environmental and public health advocacy.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Based on these findings, the project recommends (1) the implementation of tobacco waste receptacles in parks and waterways, (2) policy advocacy to regulate tobacco disposal and expand recycling options for marijuana waste, and (3) continued student engagement in faith-based public health initiatives. Strengthening partnerships between religious institutions, policymakers, and community organizations will enhance long-term sustainability and public health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Health education and misinformation pose major challenges to public well-being, as inaccurate information can lead to poor health decisions and adverse outcomes. Prior research highlights the efficacy of community-based health interventions, particularly in trusted settings like churches, where social cohesion aids information dissemination. This study assesses a conversational agent-mediated health platform designed to deliver vaccination education and spiritual support.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants (12 women, 5 men; 11 Black/African American, 3 White, 2 Asian/Asian American, 1 Hispanic/Latinx) to assess user experiences with both the platform overall and the vaccination health module. Using thematic analysis, we examined themes related to vaccination experiences, platform challenges, feature usage, and engagement motivations.

RESULTS: Participants generally valued the platform, particularly its health tracking features, Bible stories and prayer wall functionality, which provided a sense of connection for some. Some users requested women-specific groups for enhanced connection. Primary motivations for vaccination were family protection and community safeguarding; hesitancy stemmed from systemic mistrust and vaccine content doubts. Few users engaged with the vaccination module but those who did engaged to verify existing knowledge, satisfy curiosity, and acquire new information.

CONCLUSION: Faith-based digital tools can effectively engage users when they leverage existing community bonds and spiritual practices. However, participants demonstrate mixed attitudes towards vaccination education. Greater personalization of such content may make its relevance more salient to users. Trust-building through conversational agents may also further boost engagement.

Background: Despite efforts to address racial and ethnic mental health treatment disparities, only one in four Black Americans diagnosed with a mental health condition receives treatment. Predominantly Black churches have played a crucial role in tackling racial and ethnic health inequities, serving as venues for health promotion events, spaces for church member support exchange, and connectors to trusted healthcare resources. However, few of these initiatives have focused on mental health. To address this gap, we co-designed, developed, and evaluated a smartphone-based mental health promotion intervention featuring an embodied conversational agent (ECA) modeled as a peer health advisor. The aim of this intervention was to promote care-seeking intentions, reduce stigma, and train community members as compassionate responders.

Methods: This research includes two phases of data collection. First, participatory design workshops were held with church members to develop the intervention. Ten participants reviewed a culturally informed storyboard, provided feedback, and ranked app features. Then, the final digital intervention was evaluated in a two-week field study with 12 church members. Participants were interviewed before and after the study and completed system usability measures.

Results: Participants were satisfied with the digital mental health system, providing a range of satisfaction ratings significantly above neutral, and found the ECA pleasant, non-threatening, and reflective of their community values. Findings revealed how the application helped shift attitudes toward mental illness, primed care-seeking intentions and was used to support church members experiencing psychosocial stressors. Participants envisioned opportunities for implementing digital mental health tools alongside in-person events to effect change at the community level.

Conclusion: This is the first study to collaboratively co-design and implement a digital mental health promotion intervention with Black American church members. Results demonstrate the efficacy of leveraging faith-based digital mental health interventions to promote church member care-seeking practices and normalize discussions of mental wellness.

This descriptive study explores the intersection of public health, theology, and health equity, particularly within African American communities. Despite the clear links between faith, health behavior, and community engagement, there are currently no colleges or universities in the United States offering a formal joint degree program in public health and theology. This gap presents an opportunity—especially in Virginia—to establish a dual degree program that equips public health practitioners with both scientific knowledge and theological insight to better address health disparities among ethnically diverse and faith-based populations. African Americans, who often express strong religious identity, continue to experience the worst health outcomes nationally. Integrating theological perspectives into public health practice may enhance cultural competence, trust, and outreach efforts. ¹

Richmond, Virginia, with its deep-rooted African American history and proximity to multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), is an ideal location for piloting such a program. This study proposes a community-based approach, gathering insights from residents of Richmond and surrounding areas, as well as individuals from other states with strong HBCU networks. The goal is to collect community-driven data and assess interest, relevance, and perceived benefits of a dual public health-theology program. Additionally, this initiative aims to broaden educational awareness and challenge traditional silos in higher education by introducing an innovative, interdisciplinary approach to addressing health inequities.

By elevating both public health and theological literacy among professionals, this program has the potential to create a new generation of culturally aware leaders equipped to bridge faith and science. The proposed effort not only fosters academic innovation but also provides a timely and localized response to the ongoing health inequities impacting African American communities in Virginia and beyond.

Reference:

Issue:

While faith and spirituality have been identified as individual protective factors against mental health crisis, faith communities may not recognize how they can extend their good works beyond the traditional role of building congregational spirituality, by contributing more broadly to addressing vital conditions that contribute to Veteran well-being.

Description:

Evidence suggests that faith communities can play a more robust role in filling gaps that affect Veteran mental health and suicidality by leveraging existing resources (like meeting space, community kitchens and church vans) to support the social and material needs (e.g., food and housing security, transportation, interpersonal connection) of Veterans, who are at higher risk of suicide.

Lessons Learned:

The Healthy Vets Community Project (HVC) highlights the role of faith communities in creating community conditions where Veterans thrive. Faith is an important value for many Veterans, with over 90% identifying as religious, compared to 75% in the United States overall. Word Tabernacle Church (WTC), a trusted faith community in Rocky Mount, NC, partnered with HVC to explore ways to address community factors that contribute to Veteran mental health. WTC opened their doors to provide shared meeting space for the HVC Project’s community meetings and has become a hub for Veteran-centered action to address the social and material needs of Veterans in that pilot community.

Recommendations:

As trusted actors, faith communities can extend their mission beyond individual level spirituality and mobilize resources to meet the needs of their communities as part of a primary prevention approach to decrease mental health crisis.

Background: In 2001 the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) was created to help faith-based organizations (FBO) access federal grant funding to address social and community needs. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed need for access to health services outside of medical settings, prompting a critical question: How receptive are FBO populations to receiving health services and vaccinations in their places of worship?

Methods. The Faithful Response (FR) to COVID-19 trial aimed to increase COVID-19 testing at 16 midwestern African-American churches (August 2021 to January 2022). Participants (N=981) completed a baseline survey, which assessed perspectives on whether COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and other health services should be offered at places of worship.

Results: Most participants (mean age=51, 97% African-American, 87% attended church weekly) supported offering health services at places of worship, including COVID testing (74%), other health screenings (e.g., cholesterol screening [74%]), COVID vaccination (71%), influenza vaccination (65%), HIV testing (59%), and other vaccinations (59%). Among participants who supported other health screenings, 63% had a recent wellness visit, 62% received the COVID vaccine, 55% had a comorbidity, 42% were employed, 30% had public insurance, and 25% lived with family, including children. These findings suggest this population has significant health burdens, yet most were actively engaged in receiving health services.

Conclusion. The findings suggest persons affiliated with FBOs are receptive to accessing health services and vaccinations at places of worship. Creating programs where FBOs can partner with health-based organizations will help eliminate barriers and improve access to health services in trusted, convenient environments.

ISSUE:
Clergy are often spiritual anchors within marginalized communities, yet they face significant challenges maintaining their own physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Despite their essential role in community health, few programs exist to address their unique needs in a structured, data-informed way.

DESCRIPTION:
The Resilience in Leadership Initiative (RELI) was a 12-week pilot wellness program designed for experienced clergy across the Chicagoland area. Developed through a partnership between Chicago Theological Seminary and the Lilly Foundation, the program combined personalized coaching, spiritual formation, movement therapy, and nutritional education. Participants were given wearable fitness trackers and wellness stipends to support sustainable behavior change. Data was collected via surveys and Fitbits to measure shifts in physical activity, sleep quality, and emotional resilience.

LESSONS LEARNED:
Participants reported improvements in sleep, increased daily movement, and greater emotional regulation, particularly among female clergy. Qualitative feedback emphasized boundary-setting, self-advocacy, and the power of faith-centered coaching as key program strengths. The project affirmed the need for dedicated wellness interventions for those who often prioritize others over themselves.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
This model offers a replicable framework for clergy wellness initiatives, particularly in under-resourced communities. Future efforts should include longitudinal evaluation, mentorship cohorts, and integration with national public health campaigns focused on mental, physical, and spiritual health equity.