Addressing Cardiovascular Health Disparities in Minnesota: Establishment of a Community Steering Committee by FAITH! (Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health)

Abstract

Despite its rank as the fourth healthiest state in the United States, Minnesota has clear cardiovascular disease disparities between African-Americans and whites. Culturally-tailored interventions implemented using community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles have been vital to improving health and wellness among African-Americans. This paper delineates the establishment, impact, and lessons learned from the formation of a community steering committee (CSC) to guide the Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health (FAITH!) Program, a CBPR cardiovascular health promotion initiative among African-Americans in Minnesota. The theory-informed CSC implementation process included three phases: (1) Membership Formation and Recruitment, (2) Engagement, and (3) Covenant Development and Empowerment. The CSC is comprised of ten diverse community members guided by mutually agreed upon bylaws in their commitment to FAITH!. Overall, members considered the CSC implementation process effective and productive. A CBPR conceptual model provided an outline of proximal and distal goals for the CSC and FAITH!. The CSC implementation process yielded four lessons learned: (1) Have clarity of purpose and vision, (2) cultivate group cohesion, (3) employ consistent review of CBPR tenets, and (4) expect the unexpected. A robust CSC was established and was instrumental to the success and impact of FAITH! within African-American communities in Minnesota.

Emergency Preparedness and Risk Communication Among African American Churches: Leveraging a Community-Based Participatory Research Partnership COVID-19 Initiative

“…8 Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 9 Division of Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 10 Division of Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida.…”

“…Thus, community-engaged efforts are needed to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 among the African American population. From its inception, the Black church has consistently served as a resilient source to mobilize community members for capacity building to reach groups that have been marginalized and oppressed at the most troubling of times -especially in the areas of health and social injustice (7)(8)(9).…”

“…(Fostering African-American Improvement in Total Health) program is the first academic–community partnership between Mayo Clinic and local African American churches. It forged an authentic, community-based participatory research (CBPR) initiative to diminish chronic disease health disparities, particularly cardiovascular disease, in disproportionately affected African American communities ( 10 ). Since its founding in 2013 in Minnesota, FAITH!…”

Key Elements and Effects of Cardiovascular Disease Management Programs based on Community-Based Participatory Research: Protocol for a Scoping Review

“…Many previous reviews of CBPR in the health and medical sector are focused on speci c ethnic groups such as Hispanics, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and immigrants [14,15], or residents in speci c regions such as Sub-Saharan Africans and Asia-Paci c Islanders [7,16]. There are not enough reviews that focus on providing a comprehensive compilation of the effects of CBPR-based health programs.…”

Guidance for Genuine Collaboration: Insights from Academic, Tribal, and Community Partner Interviews on a New Research Partnership

“…Few research groups employing CEnR, community-based participatory research, community-academic partnerships, tribal-academic partnerships, and other forms of collaborative and participatory research have evaluated their own practices for success. Methodologies for evaluation include review through the Good Practice of Community Campus Partnerships framework [9]; review through the Contact, Initiation, Acceptance, Success, and Continuation Evaluation Framework [15]; analysis of meeting minutes and a group meeting [10]; analysis of program documentation, partner surveys, and meeting minutes [16]; and post-meeting evaluations [17]. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' Partnerships for Environmental Public Health released an evaluation metrics manual to measure success in partnerships; the manual was based on academic and community partner input [18].…”