title: Public health and church-based constructions of HIV prevention: black Baptist perspective.
abstract: The black church is influential in shaping health behaviors within African-American communities, yet few use evidence-based strategies for HIV prevention (abstinence, monogamy, condoms, voluntary counseling and testing, and prevention with positives). Using principles of grounded theory and interpretive description, we explored the social construction of HIV prevention within black Baptist churches in North Carolina. Data collection included interviews with church leaders (n = 12) and focus groups with congregants (n = 7; 36 participants). Analytic tools included open coding and case-level comparisons. Social constructions of HIV/AIDS prevention were influenced by two worldviews: public health and church-based. Areas of compatibility and incompatibility exist between the two worldviews that inform acceptability and adaptability of current evidence-based strategies. These findings offer insight into ways to increase the compatibility of evidence-based HIV prevention strategies within the black Baptist church context.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7240, 342B MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7440, Rosenau Hall Chapel Hill, NC, USA, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Building Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA and Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7411 MacGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA Malika_roman-isler@med.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Malika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roman Isler
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7240, 342B MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7440, Rosenau Hall Chapel Hill, NC, USA, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Building Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA and Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7411 MacGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eng
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7240, 342B MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7440, Rosenau Hall Chapel Hill, NC, USA, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Building Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA and Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7411 MacGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maman
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7240, 342B MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7440, Rosenau Hall Chapel Hill, NC, USA, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Building Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA and Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7411 MacGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA.
authors.forename: Adaora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adimora
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7240, 342B MacNider Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA, Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7440, Rosenau Hall Chapel Hill, NC, USA, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7030, Bioinformatics Building Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA and Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7411 MacGavran-Greenberg Hall Chapel Hill, NC, 27599 USA.
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Weiner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D066296:Grounded Theory; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D033303:Protestantism / Q000523:psychology; D011634:Public Health