The Benefits of a Christian Public Health Research Collaborative (original) (raw)
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Christian Journal for Global Health, 2021
Background: Religiosity and spirituality are recognized determinants of health, yet many faith-based organizations do not conduct or publicly disseminate research or evaluation data to inform practice. The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of establishing a collaborative to support small to medium-sized, Christian, global health organizations in producing stronger evidence regarding the practice and application of integral mission health models. Methods: A cross-sectional study was done using a digital, mixed-method (open- and closed-ended questions) survey. The survey was distributed through a convenience sample of Christian global health networks and member organizations representing over 1,000 primarily small to medium sized organizations. Information was collected regarding organizational research and evaluation publication/presentation experience, collaborative interests, evaluation and research barriers, and priorities. Results: Responses totaled 116 and...
Framing the role of Christians in global health
Christian Journal for Global Health, 2014
Globalization has brought many people and organizations together. Healthcare is one of the fields that has been the most prominent in global collaboration. Healthcare professionals working from the framework of Christian faith have been participants and leaders in global health for many years. The current challenges in global health call for the active involvement of all concerned players, Christian healthcare professionals among them. In this paper, the authors suggest a unique framework for Christians involved in global health to make contributions to research, scholarship, and practice innovation in this field.
Collaborative research in a faith-based setting: Columbus Congregations for Healthy Youth
Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
Religious congregations have a long history of collaborating with agencies and universities to provide services and implement health promotion activities. 1 Yet despite this history, faith-based organizations seldom consider academic research when developing their own programs. For their part, researchers often avoid collaborative studies of religion and health behavior because of the intensely personal and political nature of the topic. Recently, however, a growing number of researchers and congregations are working together to examine the relationship between religion and health behavior. 1-3 Based on the experience of one such project-Columbus Congregations for Healthy Youth-this article describes how such collaboration offers a promising approach for conducting rigorous research in a faith-based setting. By focusing on the controversial area of adolescent sexual health, the project helps illustrate both the potential and the limits of collaborative research involving universities and congregations.
Christian Journal for Global Health, 2018
Objective: The objective of this qualitative pilot study was to identify opportunities and challenges Christian public health training programs experience when it comes to equipping public health students to work within Christian health mission organizations. Methods: A sample of seven out of seventeen (41 percent response rate) Christian public health institutions from North America, Asia, and Africa completed an online survey. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify major themes in the following areas: values specific to a Christian worldview, competencies focused on integrating a Christian worldview, challenges to integrating a Christian worldview, and training available to students interested in Christian health missions. Results: Values focused on Christ-like humility in serving God and others, discipleship, respecting human dignity in the image of God, and collaborative community partnership. More than half of respondents identified the interrelationship between culture, r...
Christian Journal for Global Health, 2014
Relationships between faith communities and international multilateral organizations can be complicated. While there is potential for synergy between the two, different values often characterize the approach of each. The history of these relationships is illustrative. This review describes collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and faith-based organizations (FBOs) in the implementation of primary health care, the role of spirituality in health, community responses to the HIV pandemic, and definitions of Quality of Life containing spiritual dimensions. However, important gaps persist in the appreciation and measurement of the contribution of faith communities to health assets on the part of governments and the WHO. FBOs can still draw from the nine points developed in the 1960s as a timetested viable agenda for current and future operations.
Research in Partnership with Faith-Based NGOs: A Symposium
2008
Efforts to address the challenges faced by pastoralists in the Horn of Africa have met with little success. Pastoralists continue to experience chronic food insecurity. The consequences of climate change mean that there is little hope for sustainable improvements in household well-being apart from a radical shift in strategy among members of the development NGO community. This paper briefly discusses the context of collaboration between World Vision and the research community and then describes the results of a state-of-knowledge study targeted at identifying strategic options for interventions intended to address issues of persistent poverty among Pastoralist populations in the Horn of Africa. B. Nemeroff (Eds.), The Corsini encyclopedia of psychology and behavioral science. New
Health Education & Behavior, 2012
This study explores how religious congregations interact with other community organizations to address health and, in particular, HIV-related needs within their membership and/or local communities. Case study data from a diverse sample of 14 urban congregations (6 Black, 4 Latino, 2 White, and 2 mixed race-ethnicity) indicate that they engaged in three types of relationships to conduct HIV and other health-related activities: (a) resources flowed to congregations from external entities, (b) resources flowed from congregations to external entities, and (c) congregations interacted with external entities. These types of relationships were present in roughly equal proportions; thus, congregations were not primarily the recipients of resources from other organizations in these interactions. Financial, material, and human capital resources were shared across these three relationship types, and the most common organization types that congregations were involved with for health efforts were prevention and social service organizations, health care providers, and other congregations. In addition, congregations tended to have more collaborative relationships with other faith-based organizations (FBOs) and tended to engage with non-FBOs more to either receive or provide resources. Results suggest that congregations contribute to community health by not only sponsoring health activities for their own members but also by providing specific support or resources to enhance the programming of other community organizations and collaborating with external organizations to sponsor congregation-based and community-based health activities.