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A framework for faith-based maternal and child health promotion in the USA

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Abstract

Aim

Collaborations between university faculty/staff and faith-based organizations (FBOs) have successfully promoted positive health outcomes. A framework to help FBOs address the range of maternal and child health issues facing American communities is needed. The aim of our university-based team was to establish a process framework, grounded in organizational theory, to help faith-based organizations build their capacity to address maternal and child health (MCH) issues within their membership and surrounding community.

Subject and Methods

We developed a framework and partnered with two faith-based organizations to implement it as they worked to address MCH issues. The framework used validated tools to guide individualized partnerships through four stages: awareness of the problem, adoption of high-impact, high feasibility MCH activities, activity implementation, and institutionalization of change.

Results

Two faith-based organizations located within communities with high infant mortality rates successfully utilized our framework as they developed and engaged in a wide variety of communication strategies to promote MCH, implemented programming to promote safe sleep, address maternal stress, and develop local MCH leaders within the congregations.

Conclusion

This flexible framework offers several advantages and can be easily adopted to support other FBO MCH initiatives.

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Funding

Funding was provided by the Riley Children’s Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, 410 West 10th Street, Room 2015, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Whitley Wynns, Nancy Swigonski & Jack E. Turman Jr

Authors
  1. Whitley Wynns
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  2. Nancy Swigonski
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  3. Jack E. Turman Jr
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Contributions

• Whitley Wynns: Developed relationship with faith-based organizations (FBO) and implemented the framework for two FBO, and wrote the initial manuscript draft and helped revise subsequent versions.

• Nancy Swigonski: Initiated the FBO-MCH initiative, helped secure funding for the project, provided mentoring of Ms. Wynns while she was working with FBOs, helped with revisions of the manuscript.

• Jack Turman, Jr.: Created the framework for action for this initiative, oversaw all elements of the project and manuscript development.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jack E. Turman Jr.

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No approval by the IU IRB was required as this is deemed a quality improvement study for organizations.

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Wynns, W., Swigonski, N. & Turman, J.E. A framework for faith-based maternal and child health promotion in the USA. J Public Health (Berl.) (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-023-02135-5

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