A Narrative Review of Ethnic Minority Studies for Faith-Based Health Promotion Interventions with Special Reference to the Contemporary Christian Nurse

Faith Community Nursing: Impacting Community-Based Care

ABSTRACT

Faith community nurses (FCNs) are well positioned to serve individuals needing community-based healthcare within local healthcare systems, large church denominations, or through the support and resources of nonprofit faith community nursing organizations. This article briefly outlines development of the specialty of faith community nursing and proposes areas of research needed to grow the impact of this nursing specialty. Examples of FCNs working in and collaborating with healthcare systems, educational institutions, and congregations illustrate the value and diversity of FCN services for impacting community-based care. An exhaustive list of national, denominational, and regional organizations supporting FCN practice is included.

Testing the 'Faith Moves Mountains model' to increase Alzheimer's disease awareness, detection, and diagnosis among rural, racially, and ethnically diverse older adults

OBJECTIVES

Racially and ethnically diverse populations have recently contributed to the majority of rural and small-town growth. Consequently, the disproportionately high risk and prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) among rural and minoritized older residents will likely increase. To address this threat, we tested the hypotheses that (1) a faith-based, resident-led approach would increase basic ADRD knowledge and diagnosis, and (2) older age, female gender, lower educational levels, and more years lived rural would predict number of referrals, new dementia diagnoses, and treatment.

METHODS

An adaptation of Schoenberg's Faith Moves Mountains model, previously successful in detection and management of other chronic illnesses in rural settings, guided this community-based participatory research. Local faith community members were trained as research assistants to recruit, administer surveys, conduct brief memory assessments, teach brain health strategies, and follow-up with residents. Outreaches were offered virtually during the pandemic, then in-person monthly at rotating church sites, and repeated ∼1 year later.

RESULTS

This rural sample was racially and ethnically diverse (74.5% non-White), with 28% reporting eight or less years of formal education. Findings included that referrals and years lived rural were significant and positive predictors of new ADRD treatments [(b = 3.74, χ2(1, n = 235) = 13.01, p < 0.001); (b = 0.02, χ2(1, n = 235 = 3.93, p = 0.048)], respectively, regardless of participant characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Resident-led action research in rural, diverse, faith communities is a successful approach to increasing ADRD disease knowledge, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Improving Vaccination Confidence & Addressing Vaccination Disparities to Help Improve Vaccine Uptake: A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of vaccination to support individual health across the life-course, with vaccination playing a central strategy role in mitigating transmission and disease. This required unprecedented mobilization and coordination across all sectors to meet people where they are, enable equitable access, and build vaccination confidence. A literature search was conducted with combinations of the keywords and variations of vaccination and faith-based organizations (FBOs). Search inclusion criteria were: (1) FBO programs that supported public health emergency efforts, including vaccination efforts as the primary outcome; and (2) articles written in English language. A total of 37 articles met inclusion criteria (n = 26 focused on general public health campaigns, n = 11 focused on vaccination efforts). The findings related to public health campaigns fell into four themes: FBO's ability to (1) tailor public health campaigns; (2) mitigate barriers; (3) establish trust; and (4) disseminate and sustain efforts. The findings related to vaccine uptake efforts fell into three themes: (1) pre-pandemic influenza and HPV vaccination efforts, (2) addressing vaccine disparities in minority communities, and (3) enabling COVID-19 vaccination. This review demonstrated that FBOs have a vital role in both public health campaigns and vaccination initiatives to support high vaccine uptake and confidence.

Cross-Sector Collaborations Between Health Care Systems and Community Partners That Target Health Equity/Disparities in Diabetes Care

Evidence shows that social determinants of health (SDOH) are key drivers of diabetes outcomes and disparities in diabetes care. Targeting SDOH at the individual, organizational, and policy levels is an essential step in improving health equity for individuals living with diabetes. In addition, there is increasing recognition of the need to build collaboration across the health care system and the communities experiencing inequities to improve health equity. As a result, partnerships between health and nonhealth sectors have emerged as a crucial component for increasing health equity in diabetes care and achieving health equity. The purpose of this article is to discuss cross-sector collaborations between health care systems and nonhealth partners that target health equity in diabetes care.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Falls Among Older Adults: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine whether differences in reported fall rates exist between different ethnic groups. Searches were carried out on four databases: Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus, and Web of Science. Only English language studies with community-dwelling participants aged 60 + years were included. Studies also needed to compare fall prevalence for at least two or more ethnic groups. Two reviewers independently screened all articles and evaluated study quality. Twenty-three articles were included for systematic review, and meta-analyses were carried out on the 16 retrospective studies that reported falls in the previous 12 months. The Asian group demonstrated significantly lower fall prevalence than all other ethnic groups at 13.89% (10.87, 16.91). The Hispanic group had a fall prevalence of 18.54% (12.95, 24.13), closely followed by the Black group at 18.60% (13.27, 23.93). The White group had the highest prevalence at 23.77% (18.66, 28.88). Some studies provided adjusted estimates of effect statistics for the odds/risk of falls, which showed that differences still existed between some ethnic groups even after adjusting for other risk factors. Overall, differences in fall prevalence do appear to exist between different ethnic groups, although the reasons for these differences currently remain undetermined and require further investigation. These findings highlight the need to provide more ethnically tailored responses to public health challenges, which could potentially increase the adherence to prevention interventions, and allow for a more targeted use of resources.