A Multi-Ethnic Faith and Public Health Partnership to Reduce Health Disparities

描述(由申请人提供)：教会参与已被视为帮助缩小美国非裔美国人和拉美裔美国人健康差距的一种方式；然而，在许多城市地区发现的多方面的健康需求，以及导致健康不平等的一系列复杂因素，意味着需要广泛和可持续的、多种族、多教派的信仰和健康伙伴关系。该项目的目标是建立一个由非裔美国人和拉丁裔教会领袖、公共卫生合作伙伴和研究人员组成的网络，以共同减少南洛杉矶(LA)的差距。该项目的具体目标是：1)发展可持续的信仰和公共卫生伙伴关系，以建设解决拉美裔和非裔美国人经历的健康差距的能力；2)共同制定一项干预措施，以利用教会和公共卫生资源，实现缩小拉美裔和非裔美国人在已确定的健康状况下结果差异的目标；3)试点测试在非洲裔和拉美裔教众中实施干预措施的可行性和可接受性。所使用的具体健康状况和干预策略将由一个指导委员会确定，该委员会由主要教派和跨教派协会和服务于南洛杉矶的公共卫生实体、兰德公司及其主要社区合作伙伴洛杉矶大都会教会(LAM)的研究人员组成；根据最初的投入，重点可能是三个健康问题之一：癌症、肥胖或 爱滋病毒。这项研究在所有阶段都将是协作的，我们将制定战略，以加强伙伴关系解决卫生差距的能力，而不仅仅是关注这一初始状况。这一伙伴关系在将宗教、公共卫生和 研究组织共同解决健康差距问题，并利用新技术征求社区意见。此外，它强调相互的能力建设和可持续性，以便研究人员能够更好地设计和评估干预措施；会众获得关于社区卫生问题的知识和实施卫生方案的技能；公共卫生从业人员为发展促进社区卫生的最佳做法作出贡献并从中学习。 相关性：这将是第一个多种族、多教派信仰和公共卫生研究伙伴关系，旨在以持续和互动的方式减少健康差距，并使用新技术获得社区意见。这一努力将有助于深入了解不同信仰群体对健康差距的看法，以及通过以会众为基础的方案拟订解决这些差距的可能性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Congregational involvement has been promoted as a way to help reduce health disparities among African Americans and Latinos in the U.S; however, the multifaceted health needs found in many urban areas, as well as the complex set of factors leading to health inequalities, mean that broad and sustainable, multi- ethnic, multi-denominational faith and health partnerships are needed. The goal of this project is to build a network of African-American and Latino congregational leaders, public health partners, and researchers to jointly reduce disparities in South Los Angeles (LA). The specific aims of the project are: 1) Develop a sustainable faith and public health partnership to build capacity to address health disparities experienced by Latinos and African Americans; 2) Jointly develop an intervention to leverage congregational and public health resources toward the goal of reducing disparities in outcomes for Latinos and African Americans for an identified health condition; 3) Pilot test the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention among African American and Latino congregations. The specific health condition and intervention strategy used will be defined by a Steering Committee composed of key denominational and inter-denominational associations and public health entities serving South Los Angeles, together with researchers at the RAND Corporation and its primary community partner, Los Angeles Metropolitan Churches (LAM); based on initial input, the focus will likely be on one of three health issues: cancer, obesity, or HIV. The study will be collaborative throughout all stages, and we will develop strategies to strengthen the partnership's capacity to address health disparities beyond the focus on this initial condition. The partnership is innovative in bringing together religious, public health, and research organizations to address health disparities jointly and in using novel techniques for soliciting community input. Further, it emphasizes mutual capacity building and sustainability so that researchers are better able to design and evaluate interventions; congregations gain knowledge about community health issues and skills in conducting health programs; and public health practitioners contribute to and learn from the development of best practices in promoting community health. RELEVANCE: This will be the first multi-ethnic, multi-denominational faith and public health research partnership that aims to reduce health disparities in an on-going and interactive fashion and using novel techniques to obtain community input. This effort will lead to an in-depth understanding of diverse faith community perspectives on health disparities and the potential for addressing them through congregation-based programming.