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Love with No Exceptions: A Statewide Faith-Based, University–Community Partnership for Faith-Based HIV Training and Assessment of Needs in the Deep South

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Abstract

This project established a faith-based, university–community partnership with the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church in Alabama to develop a statewide training model to address HIV knowledge and stigma, promote discussion and generate action plans to address HIV in the Deep South. A community-engaged research team consisting of church leadership and university researchers developed and implemented the model, “Love with No Exceptions.” Mixed methods were used to evaluate the model delivered in 3-h sessions in five state regions (N = 146 clergy and laity). The majority of participants reported feeling better prepared to serve those living with or affected by HIV and would implement education and awareness activities in their churches. Participants’ HIV knowledge increased from pre- to post-training. Stigma-related attitudes showed minor changes from baseline. These results reflect that partnerships between academic institutions and churches can deliver promising steps towards impactful HIV education in the Deep South.

Resumen

Este proyecto se basó en una colaboración entre la Universidad de Alabama y la Iglesia Episcopal Metodista Africana (AME) en Alabama para desarrollar un modelo de capacitación en todo el estado para abordar los temas del estigma y del conocimiento sobre el VIH; promover el debate al respecto, y generar planes de acción en el sur de los Estados Unidos. Un equipo de investigación basado en participación comunitaria formado por líderes de la iglesia e investigadores universitarios, desarrolló e implementó el modelo “Amor sin Excepciones”. Se utilizaron métodos mixtos para evaluar el modelo que se administró en sesiones de 3 horas en 5 regiones estatales (n = 146 clérigos y laicado). La mayoría de los participantes informaron que se sentían mejor preparados para servir a las personas que viven con o están afectadas por el VIH y que estarían dispuestos a implementar actividades de educación y sensibilización en sus iglesias. El conocimiento sobre el VIH entre los participantes aumentó después de la capacitación. Las actitudes relacionadas con el estigma mostraron cambios menores comparados con actitudes antes de la intervención. Estos resultados demuestran que las asociaciones entre instituciones académicas e iglesias pueden incrementar la educación sobre el VIH. Los resultados son prometedores y pueden impactar el sur de los Estados Unidos.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to the Black Church and HIV for their co-sponsorship of the Town Hall. We also thank Dr. Dustin Long, Department of Biostatistics, Center for AIDS Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Amal Alyusuf for their helpful comments on the analysis. We are grateful to the Alabama Ninth Episcopal District of the AME Church, Bishop Harry L. Seawright, and all of the clergy, laity, church members from the AME local churches, as well as our panel participants including medical providers and local HIV organizations and agencies who provided on-site HIV testing, counseling, and HIV resources that were available at all sessions. Further, we wish to express our unwavering love and admiration for the people living and thriving with HIV who spoke at each of the sessions. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of UAB or any other organization.

Funding

This research was supported by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center For AIDS Research CFAR, an NIH funded program (P30 AI027767) that was made possible by the following institutes: NIAID, NCI, NICHD, NHLBI, NIDA, NIMH, NIA, NIDDK, NIGMS, NIMHD, FIC, NIDCR and OAR and the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 5U48DP005037 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1720 2nd Avenue South, 227 Ryals School of Public Health Building, Birmingham, AL, 35924, USA

    Robin G. Lanzi, Alison P. Footman, Brook Y. Araya & Kathryn A. Kaiser

  2. Center for AIDS Research, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA

    Robin G. Lanzi, Alison P. Footman, Edward Jackson, Brook Y. Araya, Corilyn Ott, Ronald D. Sterling & Tammy R. Davis

  3. School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA

    Corilyn Ott

  4. Alabama Ninth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Birmingham, USA

    Ronald D. Sterling & Tammy R. Davis

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  1. Robin G. Lanzi
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  2. Alison P. Footman
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Correspondence to Robin G. Lanzi.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Lanzi, R.G., Footman, A.P., Jackson, E. et al. Love with No Exceptions: A Statewide Faith-Based, University–Community Partnership for Faith-Based HIV Training and Assessment of Needs in the Deep South. AIDS Behav 23, 2936–2945 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-019-02604-7

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