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Religiosity and Engagement in HIV Care Among African American People Living with HIV

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Abstract

HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black/African Americans. New and innovative strategies are needed to increase and enhance engagement in HIV care. The Black/African American church is a powerful institution with the potential to enhance HIV care among congregants. This study examines perceptions on incorporating religiosity into engagement in HIV care for African Americans living with HIV among Black/African Americans persons living with HIV, church leaders and members, and HIV health and service providers. Findings indicated Black/African Americans living with HIV would be willing to engage in religiously tailored, joint church-health initiatives to increase engagement in care. Church leaders and members and HIV health and service providers also reported a willingness to provide religiously tailored services, and that providing these services would be both acceptable and feasible for implementation. These findings should be considered in future research designed to enhance engagement in HIV care for Black/African Americans living with HIV.

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Acknowledgements

This research was made possible through our long-standing collaborative partnerships with faith-based leaders and congregants. In addition, we gratefully acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of Rev. Eric D. Williams and Rev. Cassandra Wainright from Calvary Community Outreach Network.

Funding

This research was supported by the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Graduate Assistance Fund and by the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Graduate Studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central Connecticut State University, 1615 Stanley Street, New Britain, CT, 06050, USA

    Marcie Berman

  2. Psychology Department, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Jannette Berkley-Patton, Carole Bowe-Thompson, Alexandria Bauer & Saige Stortz

  3. Institute for Community Research, Hartford, CT, USA

    H. Danielle Green

Authors
  1. Marcie Berman
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  2. Jannette Berkley-Patton
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  3. Carole Bowe-Thompson
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  4. Alexandria Bauer
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  5. Saige Stortz
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  6. H. Danielle Green
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcie Berman.

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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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All participants were properly consented in accordance with institutional review board standards.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Berman, M., Berkley-Patton, J., Bowe-Thompson, C. et al. Religiosity and Engagement in HIV Care Among African American People Living with HIV. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 10, 560–572 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01246-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-022-01246-1

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