Religious congregations reach many lives and play an important role in working for social change. Could they play a similarly powerful role in the fight against HIV/AIDS? Although there is some evidence for an affirmative answer, few studies have examined systematically the prevalence and predictors of congregational involvement in health programs in general, much less in HIV/AIDS services. The purposes of this research are to describe the processes by which HIV/AIDS prevention and care activities are implemented in congregations and to examine factors associated with such activities. It is informed by a conceptual framework in which congregations'capacity to engage in HIV/AIDS activities and their interest in doing so are affected by norms and attitudes (including attitudes towards HIV and homosexuality), the organizational structure of congregations and other community elements, various sets of resources (internal to the congregation and external), and demographics. It is hypothesized that some of these factors will predict a congregation's decisions to implement health programs of any kind;other factors will predict decisions to implement HIV/AIDS activities in particular, and a third set of factors will predict the type and intensity of activities implemented. Hypotheses will be further elaborated through site visits and interviews with pastoral and lay leaders at 12 congregations of varying denomination, ethnicity, and size in Los Angeles County, half of which have implemented HIV/AIDS programs and half of which have not but are otherwise comparable. Factors hypothesized to influence congregational involvement will then be tested quantitatively through a telephone survey of 800 congregations in ethnically diverse areas of the county disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. The effects of community characteristics will be examined by compiling neighborhood-level data on socioeconomic status, ethnic diversity, community need, and so forth. Hypotheses will be tested through hierarchical linear modeling techniques. Study findings will be of utility to county health departments and health care providers, which will be interested to know to what extent their efforts may be supplemented by congregations. Results will also be of interest to other organizations and agencies that seek to promote service provision in community-based settings and to train potential providers;knowledge of local barriers to, and facilitators of, HIV/AIDS engagement should help them target their efforts.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01HD050150-05S1
Application #
7935105
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-AARR-F (02))
Program Officer
Newcomer, Susan
Project Start
2009-09-30
Project End
2012-03-31
Budget Start
2009-09-30
Budget End
2012-03-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$348,889
Indirect Cost
Name
Rand Corporation
Department
Type
DUNS #
006914071
City
Santa Monica
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90401
Hawes-Dawson, Jennifer; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Aunon, Frances M et al. (2017) Achieving Broad Participation in Congregational Health Surveys at African American and Latino Churches. Field methods 29:79-94
Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Kanouse, David E; Bogart, Laura M et al. (2016) Predictors of HIV-related stigmas among African American and Latino religious congregants. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 22:185-95
Williams, Malcolm V; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Aunon, Frances et al. (2016) Church-Based HIV Screening in Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities of California, 2011-2012. Public Health Rep 131:676-684
Derose, Kathryn P; Griffin, Beth Ann; Kanouse, David E et al. (2016) Effects of a Pilot Church-Based Intervention to Reduce HIV Stigma and Promote HIV Testing Among African Americans and Latinos. AIDS Behav 20:1692-705
Flórez, Karen R; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Breslau, Joshua et al. (2015) Acculturation and Drug Use Stigma Among Latinos and African Americans: An Examination of a Church-Based Sample. J Immigr Minor Health 17:1607-14
Williams, Malcolm V; Haas, Ann; Griffin, Beth Ann et al. (2015) Predictors of the Existence of Congregational HIV Programs: Similarities and Differences Compared With Other Health Programs. Am J Health Promot 29:e225-35
Bogart, Laura M; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Kanouse, David E et al. (2015) Correlates of HIV testing among African American and Latino church congregants: the role of HIV stigmatizing attitudes and discussions about HIV. J Urban Health 92:93-107
Werber, Laura; Mendel, Peter J; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin (2014) Social entrepreneurship in religious congregations' efforts to address health needs. Am J Health Promot 28:231-8
Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Bogart, Laura M; Kanouse, David E et al. (2014) An intervention to reduce HIV-related stigma in partnership with African American and Latino churches. AIDS Educ Prev 26:28-42
Mendel, Peter; Derose, Kathryn Pitkin; Werber, Laura et al. (2014) Facilitators and barriers to HIV activities in religious congregations: perspectives of clergy and lay leaders from a diverse urban sample. J Relig Health 53:1472-86

Showing the most recent 10 out of 19 publications