Keywords

community assessment, community-based participatory research, faith community nursing, lay health advisors, obesity

 

Authors

  1. Maitlen, Lynn A.
  2. Bockstahler, Amie M.
  3. Belcher, Anne E.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Parish nurses contribute to community health through the expertise and programming they provide to and through faith communities. Application of community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles helps develop, implement, and evaluate effective community interventions. University graduate students partnered with a Hospital Parish Nurse Program (HPNP) in an urban community to provide assessment data in a CBPR project that led the HPNP to focus resources and interventions on high obesity rates. The HPNP utilized data to write grant proposals to expand community services to impact obesity.