The purpose of this paper is to review the literature relative to church-based health promotion programs to assist health professionals in establishing effective prevention alliances with African-American churches. While the literature describing the role of churches, particularly African-American, is limited, the available evidence supports the assertion that many churches are engaged in providing primary prevention, preventive health, and social services to at risk populations. Two mini-cases, illustrative of programs which have been reported in the literature, are presented. What each program had in common is an alliance between ministers, health professionals, and trained church volunteers. Pastors acted as gatekeepers and advocates for a health program. The health professionals served as consultants (particularly in technical design, training, and evaluation). Interested church members, once trained, conducted health programs serving themselves, fellow members, and their community.
Discordant reports of Latino household food security suggest the burden of unequal access to sufficient foods may be underestimated. Discordant reports may follow from cultural values that may encourage adolescents to keep hunger from their parents.
Specialized health promotion programs are essential for older African Americans because of the increased health risks that this population faces. Since 1983, we developed and provided specialized health promotion programs to older rural minority populations in North Florida. Using a modified Planned Approach to Community Health (P.A.T.C.H.) promotion development model, these programs attempt to empower the local population to assess and pnoritize their health needs and to improve their own level of health. From our experience evolved social and public policy recommendations that encompass cultural acceptability, state and federal support of local control and leadership, reinforced family structures, and access to services. The ultimate goal of our recommendations was to lower disability and improve life expectancy.Much is written about the inequities of access to and appropriateness of health services for minority populations. Wide differences in vital statistics for death, disease and disability between majority and minority populations portray the variance in use of health services by the two populations (Jackson, 1988).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.