Bronx Faith-Based Initiative to Eliminate Racial Disparities in Health

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Long term goal: The overall goal of the proposed project is to eliminate racial disparities in health outcomes among residents of the southwest Bronx. The project is sponsored by Bronx Health REACH, a coalition of 40 community and faith-based organizations, the Institute for Urban Family Health, and the Center for Health and Public Service Research at New York University. Established in 1999, the Coalition has developed a series of community-based interventions to measure and change knowledge, attitudes and behaviors through health promotion and disease prevention activities. These activities have focused on chronic diseases of high prevalence and concern to community members and those which are amenable to primary prevention through lifestyle modification and self-management. Specific aims: The proposed project, The Bronx Faith-Based Initiative for Health Equity, will evaluate the impact of a faith-based intervention to improve health and health care of community members at risk for diabetes and related cardiovascular disease. The intervention represents best practices identified during the planning phase of this project, and adapts these for a bicultural community. It will identify, evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, assess the impact of the program on church programs and policies, and identify key elements of a bilingual, bicultural program to address health disparities. Rationale: A growing body of literature points to the role that disparities in health care play in poorer health outcomes for minorities. By linking educational and behavioral strategies with faith-based institutions and leaders, the Coalition seeks to determine whether a strong community resource can be tapped to reduce disparities among community members. Methods: The proposed CBPR model will utilize a quasi-experimental design with a cohort of intervention churches and control churches for each of the program aims. Impact on congregants will be assessed through longitudinal pre-and post-surveys. Impact on churches, and identification of key program elements will be identified through focus groups and key informant interviews. Public health value: The proposed CBPR will contribute to the knowledge base about faith-based health interventions and improve future collaborations by identifying factors contribute to or limit the effectiveness of faith-based interventions to reduce racial disparities in health.