Schoenberg Nancy E, Swanson Mark
From the College of Medicine/College of Public Health and the Department of Health Behavior, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington.
South Med J. 2017 Jul;110(7):447-451. doi: 10.14423/SMJ.0000000000000671.
In traditionally underserved communities, faith-based interventions have been shown to be effective for health promotion. Religious leaders-generally the major partner in such interventions-however, are seldom are consulted about community health priorities and health promotion preferences. These insights are critical to ensure productive partnerships, effective programming, and sustainability.
Mixed-methods surveys were administered in one of the nation's most under-resourced regions: rural Appalachia. A sample of 60 religious leaders, representing the main denominations in central Appalachia, participated. Measures included closed- and open-ended survey questions on health priorities and recommendations for health promotion. Descriptive statistics were used for closed-ended survey items and conventional qualitative content analysis was used for open-ended responses.
Substance abuse, diabetes mellitus, suboptimal dietary intake and obesity/overweight, and cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses constitute major health concerns. Addressing these challenging conditions requires realistically acknowledging sparse community resources (particularly healthcare provider shortages); building in accountability; and leveraging local assets and traditions such as testimonials, intergenerational support, and witnessing.
With their extensive reach within the community and their accurate understanding of community health threats, practitioners and researchers may find religious leaders to be natural allies in health-promotion and disease-prevention activities.
在传统上服务不足的社区中，基于信仰的干预措施已被证明对健康促进有效。然而，宗教领袖——这类干预措施中的主要合作伙伴——很少就社区健康优先事项和健康促进偏好接受咨询。这些见解对于确保建立富有成效的伙伴关系、制定有效的计划以及实现可持续性至关重要。
在该国资源最匮乏的地区之一——阿巴拉契亚农村地区进行了混合方法调查。抽取了60名宗教领袖作为样本，他们代表了阿巴拉契亚中部的主要教派。调查措施包括关于健康优先事项的封闭式和开放式问题以及健康促进建议。对封闭式调查项目使用描述性统计，对开放式回答使用传统的定性内容分析。
药物滥用、糖尿病、饮食摄入不足和肥胖/超重，以及心血管和呼吸系统疾病是主要的健康问题。应对这些具有挑战性的状况需要切实承认社区资源匮乏（尤其是医疗服务提供者短缺）；建立问责制；利用当地资产和传统，如见证、代际支持和见证。
鉴于宗教领袖在社区中的广泛影响力以及他们对社区健康威胁的准确理解，从业者和研究人员可能会发现宗教领袖是健康促进和疾病预防活动中的天然盟友。
