YOUR Blessed Health: a faith-based CBPR approach to addressing HIV/AIDS among African Americans.

Despite substantial federal, state, and local efforts to reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS, African Americans experience higher rates of infection than any other ethnic or racial group in the United States. It is imperative to develop culturally and ecologically sensitive interventions to meet the sexual health needs of this population. Capitalizing on the assets, resources, and strengths of faith-based organizations, YOUR Blessed Health (YBH) is a community-based participatory research project developed to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and reduce HIV-related stigma among the African American faith community in Flint, Michigan. This article describes the historical context and development of YBH, discusses the results of the pilot study, and illustrates how YBH grew into a community mobilization effort led by faith leaders and their congregations to address HIV/AIDS. YBH highlights the importance of developing and testing intervention models that originate from community-based organizations to address complex and sensitive health issues among marginalized populations.