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Health Messages From the Pulpit: Examining Black Ministers’ Influence on Congregants

Sun, May 27, 14:00 to 15:15, Hilton Prague, Floor: LL, Roma

Abstract

This study examines how Black ministers perceive health as part of their role as spiritual leaders and their efficacy in seeking and sharing health information to congregants. A cross-sectional analytical survey (N = 480) was collected during the annual large-scale minister’s conference, with participants reporting: mean age: 57.16; 52.3% male; 93.8% Black/African American; 68.1% Baptist; 53.1% urban. T-tests detected a significant difference between urban (M = 4.17, SD =.55) and rural (M =4.04, SD =.57) pastors in the perception of the minister’s role in seeking and disseminating health information (t(454) = 2.33, p = .02). Ministers are more willing to seek information about health issues by which they were personally affected than information about how other ministers introduce health issues (t(479) = 2.63, p = .009). These findings can guide interventions to help Black clergy incorporate health as part of their role and positively influence their congregants.

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