Abstract: Implementation of Evidence Based HIV Interventions into Church Settings for Young Adult Women (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

Schedule:

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Regency B (Hyatt Regency Washington)

* noted as presenting author

Jennifer M. Stewart, PhD, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD

Loretta Sweet Jemmott, PhD, FAAN, RN, van Ameringen Professor in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, and Director of the Center for Health Disparities Research, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Gina M. Wingood, ScD, MPH, Professor, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Introduction: Despite the staggering rates of HIV, and the prominent role the African American church has in the health of young African American women (AAW), it remains underutilized as a forum for implementation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to prevent HIV. The purpose of this study is to examine the barriers, facilitators, and feasibility of implementation and sustainability of an HIV EBI into a church setting for AAW ages 18-25. Research questions explored and examined the risks and needs of this population as well as the barriers, facilitators, feasibility and acceptability of implementation.

Methods: This is a qualitative, multilevel study, which used interviews of pastors (n=3), focus groups (n=3) with AAW 18-25, and surveys of pastors, young adult women and congregants (n=75) in four churches. Auerbach and Silverstein’s grounded theory coding method was used to analyze qualitative data.

Results: Barriers included pastor’s discomfort in distributing condoms and lack of education regarding HIV/AIDS. Facilitators included the strong presence of the church as a trusted institution for delivery of health interventions which is also situated in communities with the highest HIV risk. Implementation of the intervention was supported by adaptation to fit church context and integration of health professionals. A primary product included an adapted HIV intervention suitable for church settings.

Conclusions: These results provide strategies for the implementation of HIV EBIS in churches with church congregants and the forefront of facilitating this process. Findings contribute significantly to development of community based health policies related to implementation of health interventions and to the understanding of the implementation process in systems that face significant contextual barriers. These findings can be applied to other organizations and systems to promote implementation, dissemination, and sustainability of EBIs.

Abstract: Implementation of Evidence Based HIV Interventions into Church Settings for Young Adult Women (Society for Prevention Research 22nd Annual Meeting)

31 Implementation of Evidence Based HIV Interventions into Church Settings for Young Adult Women