An Examination of Culturally Relevant Health Messages in African-American Churches

J Relig Health. 2023 Aug;62(4):2547-2562. doi: 10.1007/s10943-022-01638-x. Epub 2022 Aug 22.

Abstract

This quantitative study examined the presence of culturally relevant health messages for African-Americans based on a preexisting dataset from 21 African-American churches in South Carolina (USA). Content analysis served as the primary methodological approach to code printed media messages based on their cultural relevance among African-Americans (Cohen's kappa = .74). Within the dataset (n = 2166), 477 (22%) items were identified as culturally relevant. A low prevalence of culturally relevant messages was found across the three message topics, two media types, and one media source. Due to the limited presence of culturally relevant messages, researchers should collaborate with African-American churches to design health promotion messages.

Keywords: Diet; Health communication; Health disparities; Health promotion; Physical activity.

MeSH terms

  • Black or African American*
  • Culturally Competent Care
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Health Promotion*
  • Humans
  • Religion
  • South Carolina