Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112078

Shandowyn L. Parker, PhD, MPH¹, Joan E. Cowdery, PhD¹, and Bettina Campbell, CSW². (1) Department of Health Sciences & Administration, University of Michigan, Flint, 2102 WSW Bldg., Flint, MI 48502, 810-762-3172, shanpark@umflint.edu, (2) YOUR Center, 4002 N. Saginaw Street, Flint, MI 48502

An initiative designed to educate faith leaders on the need for HIV education for African Americans and to recruit faith leaders to take an active role in impacting their congregation in preventing HIV was implemented by a faith-based community health agency. A survey conducted with faith leaders to determine whether faith leaders who participated in educational sessions had implemented HIV programming within their churches and to assess faith leaders' concerns regarding HIV prevention and program implementation within their congregation. The results of the survey were used to determine strategies needed to promote HIV/AIDS interventions within the faith community. Methods: Faith leaders attending a HIV educational training workshop completed a 50 item survey assessing type of HIV programming conducted within their churches, resources needed to conduct HIV programming, as well as attitudes and comfort level regarding issues related to HIV prevention such as the role of the church in HIV prevention, morality, condom use, leaders' current HIV knowledge, and denominational benefits and barriers regarding HIV prevention programs. Results: Although many church leaders felt that the church was an appropriate place for discussing HIV/AIDS, very few respondents had conducted any programming within the last 1-3 months (<13%) and only 44% of respondents had ever conducted HIV programming. Conclusions: It appears that providing HIV education to the congregation is important to faith leaders and many are comfortable in doing so, there is a lack of actual programming being conducted. This may be due to a lack of resources for planning and implementing activities.

Learning Objectives:

• 1.Discuss issues among faith leaders in addressing HIV with their congregation
• 2.Evaluate the effectiveness of an HIV educational intervention targeted at faith leaders within the African American church
• 3.Discuss strategies to promote HIV programming within the African American church

Keywords: Faith Community,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.