Readiness to Implement HIV Testing in African-American Church Settings

Abstract

HIV and AIDS continue to impact Black Americans at disproportionately high rates. Promotion of HIV testing and linkage to care is a national health imperative for this population. As a pillar in the Black community, the Black Church could have a significant impact on the promotion of HIV testing within their churches and surrounding communities. Churches, however, have varied levels of involvement in testing. Furthermore, little is known about how to assess a church’s readiness to integrate HIV testing strategies into its mission, much less how to promote this practice among churches. This qualitative study used interviews and focus groups with pastors and church leaders from four churches with varying levels of involvement in HIV testing to identify key stages in the progression of toward church-based HIV testing and linkage to care. Findings showed that churches progressed through levels of readiness, from refusal of the possibility of HIV interventions to full integration of HIV testing and linkage to care within the church.

Leaders of Welcoming and Affirming Churches in North Carolina Discuss their Roles in HIV/AIDS Awareness and Prevention

“…One church leader described being tested for the disease in front of his congregation. Churches often model healthy behaviors to stress their importance; here, the importance of knowing one's HIV status (Stewart & Thompson, 2016).…”

The Role of Religious Socialization and Religiosity in African American and Caribbean Black Adolescents’ Sexual Initiation

“…Specifically, study findings demonstrate the protective roles of religious socialization and religiosity in delaying sexual initiation and support the inclusion of both religious organizational involvement (faith-placed) and religious contextualization (faith-based) in interventions to delay adolescent sexual initiation among black adolescents. Finally, due to conservatism and stigma, black churches are often resistant and ambivalent about addressing issues of sexual abstinence (Coyne-Beasley and Schoenbach 2000; Woods-Jaeger et al 2014), although some have begun discussions of sexual health with their adolescent and adult congregants (Isler et al 2014; Stewart and Thompson 2015; Woods-Jaeger et al 2014). It is important to acknowledge that stigmatizing messages about sexuality from faith communities may leave adolescents ill-equipped to negotiate and make decisions in sexual situations.…”