Engaging Faith-Based Resources to Initiate and Support Diabetes Self-Management Among African Americans

Abstract

Diabetes for Life (DFL), a project of Memphis Healthy Churches (MHC) and Common Table Health Alliance (CTHA; formerly Healthy Memphis Common Table [HMCT]), is a self-management program aimed at reducing health disparities among African Americans with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. This program is one of five national projects that constitute The Alliance to Reduce Disparities in Diabetes, a 5-year grant-funded initiative of The Merck Foundation. Our purpose is to describe the faith-based strategies supporting DFL made possible by linking with an established informal health system, MHC, created by Baptist Memorial Health Care. The MHC network engaged volunteer Church Health Representatives as educators and recruiters for DFL. The components of the DFL project and the effect on chronic disease management for the participants will be described. The stages of DFL recruitment and implementation from an open-access to a closed model involving six primary care practices created a formal health system. The involvement of CTHA, a regional health collaborative, created the opportunity for DFL to expand the pool of health care providers and then recognize the core of providers most engaged with DFL patients. This collaboration between MHC and HMCT led to the organization of the formal health network.

Keywords

community intervention health disparities health promotion lay health advisors/community health workers Black/African American patient education quality assurance/quality improvement diabetes

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Diabetes Association. (2013). Economic costs of diabetes in the U.S. in 2012. Diabetes Care, 36, 1033-1046.

Aponte

Cruz

Arce

Durso

(2013). Partnership among a faith-based organization and community. Holistic Nursing Practice, 27, 162-167.

Austin

S. A.

Claiborne

(2011). Faith wellness collaboration: A community-based approach to address type II diabetes disparities in an African-American community. Social Work in Health Care, 50, 360-375.

Barker

L. E.

Kirtland

K. A.

Gregg

E. W.

Geiss

L. S.

Thompson

T. J.

(2011). Geographic distribution of diagnosed diabetes in the U.S.: A diabetes belt. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 40, 434-439.

Barnes

P. A.

Curtis

A. B.

(2009). A national examination of partnerships among local health departments and faith communities in the United States. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 15, 253-263.

Blank

M. B.

Mahmood

Fox

J. C.

Guterbock

(2002). Alternative mental health services: The role of the Black church in the south. American Journal of Public Health, 92, 1668-1672.

Bodenheimer

Wagner

E. H.

Grumbach

(2002). Improving primary care for patients with chronic illness. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288, 1909-1914.

Campbell

M. K.

Hudson

M. A.

Resnicow

Blakeney

Paxton

Baskin

(2007). Church-based health promotion interventions: Evidence and lessons learned. Annual Review of Public Health, 28, 213-234.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). National diabetes fact sheet: National estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf

10.

Chatters

L. M.

Mattis

J. S.

Woodward

A. T.

Taylor

R. J.

Neighbors

H. W.

Grayman

N. A.

(2011). Use of ministers for a serious personal problem among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 81, 118-127.

11.

Chatters

L. M.

Taylor

R. J.

Bullard

K. M

Jackson

J. S.

(2009). Race and ethnic differences in religious involvement: African Americans, Caribbean Blacks and Non-Hispanic Whites. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 32, 1143-1163.

12.

Collins-McNeil

Edwards

C. L.

Batch

B. C.

Benbow

McDougald

C. S.

Sharpe

(2012). A culturally targeted self-management program for African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 44, 126-141

13.

Corbie-Smith

Thomas

S. B.

St George

D. M. M.

(2002). Distrust, race, and research. Archives of Internal Medicine, 162, 2458-2463.

14.

Debnam

Holt

C. L.

Clark

E. M.

Roth

D. L.

Southward

(2012). Relationship between religious social support and general social support with health behaviors in a national sample of African Americans. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 179-189.

15.

DeHaven

M. J.

Hunter

I. B.

Wilder

Walton

J. W. D. O.

Berry

(2004). Health programs in faith-based organizations: Are they effective? American Journal of Public Health, 94, 1030-1036.

16.

Eng

Hatch

J. W.

(1991). Networking between agencies and Black churches: The lay health advisor model. Prevention in Human Services, 10, 123-146.

17.

Fisher

E. S.

Goodman

D. C.

Chandra

(2008). Disparities in health and health care among Medicare beneficiaries: a brief report of the Dartmouth Atlas Project. Retrieved from http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/downloads/reports/AF4Q_Disparities_Report.pdf

18.

Giger

J. N.

Appel

S. J.

Davidhizar

Davis

C. M. N.

(2008). Church and spirituality in the lives of the African American community. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 19, 375-383.

19.

Goldmon

Roberson

J. T.

Carey

Godley

Howard

D. L.

Boyd

Ammerman

(2008). The data collection/data distribution center: Building a sustainable African-American church-based research network. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 2, 205-224.

20.

Goldmon

M. V.

Roberson

J. T.

(2004). Churches, academic institutions, and public health: Partnerships to eliminate health disparities. North Carolina Medical Journal, 65, 368-372.

21.

Goode

T. D.

Sockalingam

Snyder

L. L.

(2004). Bridging the cultural divide in health care settings: The essential role of cultural broker programs. Washington, DC: National Center for Cultural Competence.

22.

Hatch

J. W.

Derthick

(1992). Empowering Black churches for health promotion. Health Values, 16(5), 5-9.

23.

Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (2013). How to Improve. Retrieved from http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/HowtoImprove/default.aspx

24.

Jenkins

Pope

Magwood

Vandemark

Thomas

Hill

. . . Zapka

(2010). Expanding the chronic care framework to improve diabetes management: The REACH case study. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 4, 65-79.

25.

Kegler

M. C.

Hall

S. M.

Kiser

(2010). Facilitators, challenges, and collaborative activities in faith and health partnerships to address health disparities. Health Education & Behavior, 37, 665-679.

26.

Kirkman

M. S.

Williams

S. R.

Caffrey

H. H.

Marrero

D. G.

(2002). Impact of a program to improve adherence to diabetes guidelines by primary care physicians. Diabetes Care, 25, 1946-1951.

27.

Levin

Chatters

L. M.

Taylor

R. J.

(2005). Religion, health and medicine in African Americans: Implications for physicians. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97, 237-249.

28.

Levin

J. S.

(1984). The role of the Black church in community medicine. Journal of the National Medical Association, 76, 477-483.

29.

Lincoln

C. E.

Mamiya

L. H.

(1990). The Black church in the African American experience. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

30.

Lloyd

S. C.

Harvey

N. R.

Hebert

J. R.

Daguise

Williams

Scott

D. B.

(2006). Racial disparities in colon cancer: Primary care endoscopy as a tool to increase screening rates among minority patients. Cancer, 109(2 Suppl.), 378-385.

31.

Lorig

Gonzalez

Laurent

(2006). The Chronic Disease Self-Management Workshop: Leader’s manual. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University.

32.

Merck Pharmaceuticals. (2013). Journey for Control Program: Conversation Maps process. Retrieved from: http://www.journeyforcontrol.com/journey_for_control/journeyforcontrol/foreducators/conversationmaps/

33.

Newlin

Dyess

S. M.

Allard

Chase

Melkus

G. D. E.

(2012). A methodological review of faith-based health promotion literature: Advancing the science to expand delivery of diabetes education to Black Americans. Journal of Religion and Health, 51, 1075-1097.

34.

Peterson

Atwood

J. R.

Yates

(2002). Key elements for church-based health promotion programs: Outcome-based literature review. Public Health Nursing, 19, 401-411.

35.

Pullen-Smith

Carter-Edwards

Leathers

K. H.

(2008). Community health ambassadors: A model for engaging community leaders to promote better health in North Carolina. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 14(Suppl.), S73-S81.

36.

rightdiagnosis.com. (2011). Metabolic disorder. Retrieved from http://www.rightdiagnosis.com/sym/metabolic_disorder.htm

37.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2006, March). Assessment of primary care resources and supports for chronic disease and self management (PCRS). Retrieved from http://www.diabetesinitiative.org/support/documents/PCRSwithBackgroundandUserGuide.Rev12.08.FINAL.pdf

38.

Stewart

A. F.

(2008). The United States endocrinology workforce: A supply-demand mismatch. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 93, 1164-1166.

39.

Taylor

R. J.

Ellison

C. G.

Chatters

L. M.

Levin

J. S.

Lincoln

K. D.

(2000). Mental health services in faith communities: The role of clergy in black churches. Social Work, 45, 73-87.

40.

Tennessee Department of Health. (2010a). Number of deaths from diabetes with rates per 100,000 population, by race, Tennessee resident data, 2010. Retrieved from http://health.state.tn.us/statistics/PdfFiles/VS_Rate_Sheets_2010/Diabetes2010.pdf

41.

Tennessee Department of Health. (2010b). Tennessee behavioral risk factor surveillance survey, 2010 state and regional weighted data. Retrieved from http://health.state.tn.us/statistics/PdfFiles/2010_BRFSS_State&Regional/BRFSS_BMI_10.pdf

42.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2011). 2011 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, Memphis city, Tennessee [Date file]. Available from http://www.census.gov/acs/www/

43.

Wagner

E. H.

(1998). Chronic disease management: What will it take to improve care for chronic illness? Effective Clinical Practice, 1(1), 2-4.

44.

Wagner

E. H.

Austin

B. T.

Davis

Hindmarsh

Schaefer

Bonomi

(2001). Improving chronic illness care: Translating evidence into action. Health Affairs, 20(6), 64-78.

45.

Werber

Derose

K. P.

Dominguez

B. X.

Mata

M. A.

(2012). Religious congregations’ collaborations: With whom do they work and what resources do they share in addressing HIV and other health issues? Health Education & Behavior, 39, 777-788.

46.

Wisdom

Neighbors

Williams

V. H.

Havstad

S. L.

Tilley

B. C.

(2002). Recruitment of African Americans with type 2 diabetes to a randomized controlled trial using three sources. Ethnicity & Health, 7, 267-278.

47.

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Diabetes. Retrieved from www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/index.html

48.

Yeary

K. H.

Cornell

C. E.

Turner

Moore

Bursac

Prewitt

West

D. S.

(2011). Feasibility of an evidence-based weight loss intervention for a faith-based, rural, African American population. Preventing Chronic Disease, 8(6), A146.

49.

Zahner

S. J.

Corrado

S. M.

(2004). Local health department partnerships with faith-based organizations. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 10, 258-265.