Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Public Health

Advisor

Precilla Belin

Abstract

The prevalence and incidence of breast cancer is an important issue that is affecting all women, but African American women have the lowest survival rates after breast cancer diagnosis. Historically, the Black church and faith leaders have been essential in promoting health in the African American community. Moreover, faith-based interventions have become more common within the African American community in addressing factors that affect survival rates such as early detection, cultural barriers, and education. Currently, there is not clear information on the perspectives faith leaders have on their experiences with implementing breast health interventions in their places of worship. This phenomenological study used interpretivism as the conceptual framework to understand the experiences of the faith leaders of African American congregations who participated in Worship in Pink, a faith-based breast health program implemented among congregations in metropolitan Atlanta. The research questions sought to answer what faith leaders' experiences were with participating in this intervention and what situations or contexts may have influenced their experiences. In depth, semistructured interviews were administered to a sample of 5 faith leaders who participated in Worship in Pink. There were 3 themes and 1 subtheme that emerged because of the study. The themes included partnership with Komen Atlanta, increased awareness, impact on the community, and resources. The positive social change implications include knowledge useful for faith leaders, program developers, health policy makers, health educators, and other researchers who are seeking to understand experiences of faith leaders in order to improve breast health and awareness of African American women.

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