African Americans are disproportionately affected by cancer when compared to other racial or ethnic groups. There are a number of social and cultural factors that relate to prevention and screening behaviors that impact cancer mortality rates. Religiosity/spirituality (RS) appears to be one of these factors. RS is central to the lives of many African Americans, and is related to cancer screening, risk, and prevention behaviors. RS has been proposed to have salutary effects on health in general through several mediators, including but not limited to scriptural influence on health behavior/lifestyle, social support, coping with stress, positive affect or mental health, and social influence. However, research to date has not provided empirical evidence for these mediators. Thus, the relationship between RS and health (including cancer) has gone largely unexplained. This area of research is in great need of theory. At present, studies in this area are guided largely by speculation and modest empirical evidence for these mediators. The proposed study will first identify existing or develop valid and reliable measures of the mediators, and then test a model of RS and cancer-related behaviors among African Americans. A literature review and pilot study suggest that the coping with stress, social support, positive affect/mental health, and scriptural influence on health behavior functions of RS may be among the most promising mediators of this relationship. It is also possible that different mediators may carry different associations with different cancer-related behaviors (e.g., risk vs. prevention vs. screening). We will test a model of RS and cancer risk, prevention, and screening behaviors, including a set of potential mediators. This will be the first known study to empirically test a model of the RS and cancer-related behaviors in African Americans. Finally, we will develop a set of recommendations for church-based cancer communication, based on the study findings. RS has great potential for use in the development of more effective cancer communication interventions for African Americans. ? ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01CA105202-01A2
Application #
7102251
Study Section
Community-Level Health Promotion Study Section (CLHP)
Program Officer
Cooper, Leslie
Project Start
2006-08-28
Project End
2010-07-31
Budget Start
2006-08-28
Budget End
2007-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$203,710
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Alabama Birmingham
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
063690705
City
Birmingham
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35294
Park, Crystal L; Holt, Cheryl L; Le, Daisy et al. (2018) Positive and Negative Religious Coping Styles as Prospective Predictors of Well-Being in African Americans. Psycholog Relig Spiritual 10:318-326
Clark, Eddie M; Williams, Beverly Rosa; Huang, Jin et al. (2018) A Longitudinal Study of Religiosity, Spiritual Health Locus of Control, and Health Behaviors in a National Sample of African Americans. J Relig Health 57:2258-2278
Holt, Cheryl L; Roth, David L; Huang, Jin et al. (2018) Role of religious social support in longitudinal relationships between religiosity and health-related outcomes in African Americans. J Behav Med 41:62-73
Clark, Eddie M; Williams, Randi M; Schulz, Emily et al. (2018) Personality, Social Capital, and Depressive Symptomatology Among African Americans. J Black Psychol 44:422-449
Schulz, Emily; Bay, R Curtis; Williams, Beverly Rosa et al. (2017) Fruit and Vegetable Consumption, and Physical Activity with Partner and Parental Status in African American Adults. J Fam Med Community Health 4:
Clark, Eddie M; Huang, Jin; Roth, David L et al. (2017) The relationship between religious beliefs and behaviors and changes in spiritual health locus of control over time in a national sample of African Americans. Ment Health Relig Cult 20:449-463
Holt, Cheryl L; Roth, David L; Huang, Jin et al. (2017) Longitudinal effects of religious involvement on religious coping and health behaviors in a national sample of African Americans. Soc Sci Med 187:11-19
Le, Daisy; Holt, Cheryl L; Saunders, Darlene R et al. (2016) Feasibility and acceptability of SMS text messaging in a prostate cancer educational intervention for African American men. Health Informatics J 22:932-947
Le, Daisy; Holt, Cheryl L; Hosack, Dominic P et al. (2016) Religious Participation is Associated with Increases in Religious Social Support in a National Longitudinal Study of African Americans. J Relig Health 55:1449-60
Roth, David L; Usher, Therri; Clark, Eddie M et al. (2016) Religious Involvement and Health over Time: Predictive Effects in a National Sample of African Americans. J Sci Study Relig 55:417-424

Showing the most recent 10 out of 25 publications