Blacks face many health challenges despite the many methods used to deliver disease prevention and health promotion information. Several reasons have been given to explain this problem. These include things such as the historical lack of trust of the traditional medical establishment, being under or uninsured and a belief that God, not the physician, is the ultimate healer.
For many Blacks, the church is among the most trusted place to receive information of any kind. So, what better place to reach the black community with health information than through the church? Is the Black church a viable institution for delivering a major source of health information and change?
To answer that question, researchers at the New York University School of Medicine collected data from 2010 to 2014 from 373 participants from 32 churches in New York City. The participants self-identified as Black and had reported a diagnosis of hypertension and uncontrolled blood pressure.
The researchers divided the participants into two groups. An intervention group and a control group. Participants in the intervention group received eleven 90-minute weekly group sessions that focused on healthy lifestyle behaviors, plus three motivational interviewing sessions delivered monthly by community health workers.
Participants in the control group received one lifestyle session on hypertension management plus 10 informational sessions on health education topics that were led weekly by health experts. After six months, researchers saw a net reduction of 5.8 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure in the intervention group compared to the control group.
Results such as these let us know that specific health interventions targeted for black churchgoers over a period can result in positive health outcomes for those who participate. If you are interested in starting a health and wellness ministry at your church or enhancing it, now is the time.
Suggested interventions can focus on a variety of health promotion activities that are needed in the black community. These can range from wellness screenings to weight reduction techniques such as diet and exercise, smoking cessation, and parenting effectiveness. Let’s alleviate the word CHALLENGE and turn it into CHANGE that improves our health.
Latiena Williams serves as President of Health Care Ministries in South Florida Progressive Missionary Baptist Association under the leadership of Reverend Brian K. Brown and is a member of St. Mark M.B. Church in St. Petersburg, Florida
Faith-based intervention successful at managing hypertension in black communities, new study finds. (2018, October 27). Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 619. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/apps/doc/A559086632/HRCA?u=tamp44898&sid=HRCA&xid=c315f6a4
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