Running head: NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary 1

Transcription

1 Running head: NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary 1 New Life Temple Church Needs Assessment Phase 5 Formal Executive Summary Written Report Ashley Roberts Kecia Whittenburg Milen Donlin 18 HPE 702

2 NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary 2 Population: New Life Temple Church, located outside of Cincinnati, Ohio has a congregation of approximately 300, ranging from 18 to 83 years old, with most identifying as African Americans. Though national trends in the reduction of cancer rates and mortality can be seen, there is still no known cure and this illness is of concern to many adults and seniors. Even more important is that while these trends have improved, some reports reveal disparities in cancer morbidity and mortality among African American population groups (American Heart Association (AHA), 2009). In addition to cancer, cardiovascular disease is also of grave concern for many communities and adults in the United States as it is one of the main causes of death in the nation. In the United States African Americans are suffering disproportionally from disability and death associated with stroke and cardiovascular disease with their risk having a stroke at almost twice the rate of Caucasians. The American Heart Association (AHA, 2009) reports that the stroke incidence rates for those age 45 to 84 years are 6.6 per 1,000 and 4.9 per 1,000, for African- American males and females, respectively: while, the rates are 3.6 per 1,000 and 2.3 per 1,000, for Caucasian males and females. The prevalence of high blood pressure in African Americans is among the highest in the world: 42.6% of African-American men and 46.6% of African-American women ages 20 years and older have high blood pressure. Among African-American adults age 20 and older 79.6% of women and 67.0% of men are either overweight or obese (BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 and higher). There are also 10.7% of African-American men and 13.2% of African-American women have been diagnosed with diabetes compared to the 7.3% of Caucasian men and 6.8% of Caucasian women who have been diagnosed with diabetes. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes are all related to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity; yet only 25.3% of African Americans age 18 and older report regular physical activity (AHA,

3 NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary ). These health factors depict a grim picture for this population and show a need for community based interventions that reach beyond conventional boundaries. One way of reaching out to populations is through already established faith based organizations or congregations as they often times have resources in outreach and provide a method of connecting a persons health with spirituality and adding a new dimension in their quality of life. Assessment: The procedures utilized for this needs assessment of this population were a literature review, a key informant interview and a survey. A literature review is a type of research to find out about previous or ongoing studies about a certain issue so that efforts are not duplicated. An investigation of published literature is made by using books, articles, official internet sites and databases. This literature review was done with electronic sources such as Google and databases such as Pub Med and MEDLINE. Key informant interviews are qualitative in-depth interviews with people who know what is going on in the community. The function of key informant interviews is to collect information from community leaders, professionals, or residents who have first hand knowledge about the community being studied. This key informant interview was done in person on Wednesday (2/3/10) with Pastor Ralph Godfrey Jr. It was informally conducted by Ashley Roberts, whom audio recorded and took notes of responses. The purpose was stated as to discuss activities, views, programs, resources, and other factors that may impact congregation members in regards to their spirituality and physical health. A survey is a self-report instrument used to gather information on a variety of issues. Surveys offer a convenient and efficient way to collect information on sensitive topics as well as record and analyze responses. This survey was conducted anonymously with the congregants of

4 NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary 4 New Life Temple Church (NLT). The purpose of the survey was stated as to determine what needs and desires are currently being met by the New Life Temple Church in regards to health and spirituality and also to identify some additional activities the members would like to increase. It was distributed and collected on three different dates: Wednesday (2/3/10) at choir rehearsal, Thursday (2/4/10) at the Bible College, and Sunday (2/7/10) after both services. Participants who attended any combination of these events were only given the survey once. Overall Results: The overall results of the triangulated needs assessment are: African Americans are more at risk for strokes, have a higher prevalence of high blood pressure and diagnosis of diabetes and obesity. These health issues are related to poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Members of NLT church are mostly African American and their wholistic (mind, body, spirit) needs are not adequately being met. There is not enough information about health and faith being provided nor implemented by the church. NLT church needs events/activities to promote physical health. NLT church members want health events. The pastor wants to provide events/activities that promote physical health. Heart disease was identified as the major health concern of members. There is a belief of a correlation between prayer and health. Integrating church with health would be supported among this population. NLT church is meeting spiritual needs.

5 NLT Church Needs Assessment Summary 5 Recommendations: Recommendations for NLT church based on the needs assessment are: The health events should be aimed towards heart disease. o Fairs/Events o Presentation from American Heart Association specialists Mainly for males and females within the age range of years but everyone would benefit. Health information could be incorporated into existing agendas. o Sermon o Ministries Women of the Harvest physical activity, weekly healthy 30 min meal ideas Men s ministry physical activity such as basketball, football, volleyball tournaments Youth ministry physical activity such as sports and games o Sunday bulletin o Handouts/brochures in foyer New programs/activities could be created o Family Fun Night a night where church families come together to be active and fellowship o Lighthouse Field Day - a day of sports competitions among members