The Brand's PREACH Survey: A Capacity Assessment Tool for Predicting Readiness to Engage African American Churches in Health

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop the Brand's PREACH (Predicting Readiness to Engage African American Churches in Health) Survey, a capacity assessment tool based on the Brand's PREACH Model to predict the readiness of African American (AA) churches to engage in health promotion programming (HPP). The survey assessed church infrastructure (physical structure, personnel, funding, and cultural/social support), frequency of HPP and readiness to engage in HPP. The survey was administered to 108 AA churches in Illinois and North Carolina. The study findings revealed that churches with more infrastructure tended to engage in more HPP. Churches with less infrastructure tended to engage in less HPP. Overall, infrastructure was associated with and able to predict the readiness of AA churches to engage in HPP.

Keywords: African American Church; Health disparities; Health promotion; Infrastructure capacity; Readiness.