Examining Church Capacity to Develop and Disseminate a Religiously Appropriate HIV Tool Kit with African American Churches

Abstract

Increasingly, African American churches have been called upon to assist in efforts to address HIV/AIDS in underserved communities. African Americans churches may be well-positioned to provide HIV education, screening, and support services, particularly if they are equipped with church-appropriate, easy-to-deliver HIV tools that can be implemented through the naturalistic church environment. To inform the development of a church-based HIV tool kit, we examined church capacity with African American church leaders (N=124 participants; n=58 churches represented by senior pastors). Nearly all participants (96%) wanted to learn more about HIV and how to discuss it with their parishioners. Regarding church capacity, most of their representative churches held three regular services each week, facilitated various inreach and community outreach ministries, and had paid staff and computers. Also, many of their churches facilitated HIV/AIDS education/prevention and adolescent sex education activities. Guided by church capacity findings, an ecological framework, and a CBPR approach, we describe the resulting church-based HIV Tool Kit that "fits" naturalistically within a multilevel church infrastructure, builds upon churches' HIV-related experience, and equips faith leaders to efficiently promote HIV services with the communities they serve.

African American Church Engagement in the HIV Care Continuum

“…Nurses can provide HIV information and relay knowledge, in addition to the necessary skill sets to manage linkage to care and holistic services for PLWH. Church-based HIV ministries often incorporate church health professionals as leaders or liaisons (Berkley-Patton, Thompson et al, 2013). …”

“…Several studies have found barriers to and facilitators of implementing church-based HIV programs in racial/ethnic minority communities; however, the research questions for these studies were derived from congregant perspectives on HIV-related stigma, HIV prevention, or HIV screening promotion interventions (Berkley-Patton, Moore, et al, 2013; Berkley-Patton, Thompson, et al, 2013; Pichon & Powell, 2015; Pichon, Powell, Ogg, Williams, & Becton-Odum, 2016; Pryor, Gaddist, & Johnson-Arnold, 2015; Williams et al, 2016). These studies left many unanswered questions about church leader perspectives on the feasibility of a focus on HIV care in African American churches.…”

An HIV Testing Intervention in African American Churches: Pilot Study Findings

“…Studies indicate fairly stable church attendance among African Americans (6–8), and most attend church weekly (7). Also, most Black churches have regular weekly services (5, 9); similar religious activities (e.g., testimonials, preaching) (5, 9); support for healthy lifestyles (9–12); and accessible meeting spaces (5, 9, 13). Many also have outreach ministries (e.g., food pantries, utility assistance, recovery programs) that could extend reach of HIV testing to underserved community members who may be at great risk for HIV (9, 11).…”

“…Combined with a community-based participatory research approach (17, 29), these models provided a framework for religiously-tailored intervention development and delivery by church leaders through existing multilevel church outlets to increase HIV testing reach and access. This study tested the multilevel, religiously-tailored Taking It to the Pews intervention (see full description elsewhere) (9, 17, 30) against a non-tailored HIV information comparison group.…”

Readiness to Implement HIV Testing in African-American Church Settings

“…While great inroads have been made in African-American church involvement in HIV prevention and other risk reduction approaches (Pichon et al 2012; Griffith et al 2010; Lindley et al 2010; Brown and Williams 2005; Hicks et al 2005; McKoy and Petersen 2006), church-based HIV testing in comparison is by no means widespread (Berkley-Patton et al 2013). Furthermore, there is a paucity of literature that examines characteristics of the churches that elect not to be engaged in HIV testing and linkage to care.…”