Hosffman Ospino

Religious Beliefs and Cancer Screening Behaviors among Catholic Latinos: Implications for Faith- based Interventions

Although most U.S. Latinos identify as Catholic, few studies have focused on the influence of this religious tradition on health beliefs among this population. This study explores the role of Catholic religious teachings, practices, and ministry on cancer screening knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among Latinos. Eight focus groups were conducted with 67 Catholic Latino parishioners in Massachusetts. Qualitative analysis provided evidence of strong reliance on faith, God, and parish leaders for health concerns. Parishes were described as vital sources of health and social support, playing a central role in the community’s health. Participants emphasized that their religious beliefs promote positive health behaviors and health care utilization, including the use of cancer screening services. In addition, they expressed willingness to participate in cancer education programs located at their parishes and provided practical recommendations for implementing health programs in parishes. Implications for culturally appropriate health communication and faith-based interventions are discussed.

Religion, Fatalism, and Cancer Control: A Qualitative Study among Hispanic Catholics

OBJECTIVES To assess cancer perceptions among churchgoers and to examine the potential influence of fatalism and religious beliefs on the use of cancer screening tests. METHODS Eight semi-structured focus groups were conducted among 67 Hispanic Catholics in Massachusetts. RESULTS In this sample, there were few references to fatalistic beliefs about cancer and nearly universal endorsement of the utility of cancer screening for cancer early detection. Most participants reported that their religious beliefs encouraged them to use health services, including cancer-screening tests. Although participants agreed that God plays an active role in health, they also affirmed the importance of self-agency in determining cancer outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Our findings challenge the assumption that fatalism is an overriding perspective among Hispanics. Catholic religious beliefs may contribute to positive health attitudes and behaviors.

Enhancing organizational capacity to provide cancer control programs among Latino churches: Design and baseline findings of the CRUZA Study

BackgroundFaith-based organizations (FBOs) have been successful in delivering health promotion programs for African Americans, though few studies have been conducted among Latinos. Even fewer have focused on organizational change, which is required to sustain community-based initiatives. We hypothesized that FBOs serving Latinos would be more likely to offer evidence-based strategies (EBS) for cancer control after receiving a capacity enhancement intervention to implement health programs, and designed the CRUZA trial to test this hypothesis. This paper describes the CRUZA design and baseline findings.MethodsWe identified Catholic parishes in Massachusetts that provided Spanish-language mass (n = 65). A baseline survey assessed organizational characteristics relevant to adoption of health programs, including readiness for adoption, “fit” between innovation and organizational mission, implementation climate, and organizational culture. In the next study phase, parishes that completed the baseline assessment will be recruited to a randomized cluster trial, with the parish as the unit of analysis. Both groups will receive a Program Manual and Toolkit. Capacity Enhancement parishes will also be offered technical support, assistance forming health committees and building inter-institutional partnerships, and skills-based training.ResultsOf the 49 parishes surveyed at baseline (75%), one-third (33%) reported having provided at least one health program in the prior year. However, only two program offerings were cancer-specific. Nearly one-fifth (18%) had an active health ministry. There was a high level of organizational readiness to adopt cancer control programs, high congruence between parish missions and CRUZA objectives, moderately conducive implementation climates, and organizational cultures supportive of CRUZA programming. Having an existing health ministry was significantly associated with having offered health programs within the past year. Relationships between health program offerings and other organizational characteristics were not statistically significant.ConclusionsFindings suggest that many parishes do not offer cancer control programs, yet many may be ready to do so. However, the perceptions about existing organizational practices and policies may not be conducive to program initiation. A capacity enhancement intervention may hold promise as a means of increasing health programming. The efficacy of such an intervention will be tested in phase two of this study.

Recruiting and Surveying Catholic Parishes for Cancer Control Initiatives: Lessons Learned From the CRUZA Implementation Study.

Background. We describe activities undertaken to conduct organizational surveys among faith-based organizations in Massachusetts as part of a larger study designed to promote parish-based cancer control programs for Latinos. Method. Catholic parishes located in Massachusetts that provided Spanish-language mass were eligible for study participation. Parishes were identified through diocesan records and online directories. Prior to parish recruitment, we implemented a variety of activities to gain support from Catholic leaders at the diocesan level. We then recruited individual parishes to complete a four-part organizational survey, which assessed (A) parish leadership, (B) financial resources, (C) involvement in Hispanic Ministry, and (D) health and social service offerings. Our goal was to administer each survey component to a parish representatives who could best provide an organizational perspective on the content of each component (e.g., A = pastors, B = business managers, C = Hispanic Ministry leaders, and D = parish nurse or health ministry leader). Here, we present descriptive statistics on recruitment and survey administration processes. Results. Seventy-five percent of eligible parishes responded to the survey and of these, 92% completed all four components. Completed four-part surveys required an average of 16.6 contact attempts. There were an average of 2.1 respondents per site. Pastoral staff were the most frequent respondents (79%), but they also required the most contact attempts (M = 9.3, range = 1-27). While most interviews were completed by phone (71%), one quarter were completed during in-person site visits. Conclusions. We achieved a high survey completion rate among organizational representatives. Our lessons learned may inform efforts to engage and survey faith-based organizations for public health efforts.

Leadership networks in Catholic parishes: Implications for implementation research in health

Through two case studies of Catholic parishes in Massachusetts, this study explores the implications of leader-centered versus distributed leadership in Catholic parishes for the implementation of evidence-based health interventions. The two parishes involved in the study differ from each other in several ways. In the first, parishioners are less engaged in leadership activities at the decision-making level in the parish. A small group of lay volunteers work with the parish priest and other ordained leaders on parish activities. In the second parish, a large and active lay volunteer leadership have forged an organizational structure that allows more independence from the pastors direct oversight. In this parish, lay volunteer leaders are the prime drivers of organizational programs and events. In 2012-2013, three types of networks were assessed at each parish: discussion, collaboration, and outside-of-parish ties. The contrasts between each parish include differences in density of collaboration, in frequency of discussion, and network centrality of the respective parish priests. We further identified key actors in the network structures at each parish. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding organizational capacity in the context of health program implementation.

Unveiling the Human and the Divine: The Revelatory Power of Popular Religiosity Narratives in Christian Education.

Abstract This article is an exercise of practical theology in which the author proposes a hermeneutical analysis of popular religiosity stories and their value for Christian education. It explores the context where these stories are born (lo cotidiano/the everyday) and discusses their mediatory potential as articulations of the encounter between God and humanity within history. The author proposes to read these stories with the help of an interpretive approach rooted in Cultural Studies theory. The article concludes with a number of pedagogical recommendations for using popular religiosity narratives as legitimate sources for theological reflection and Christian education, particularly in culturally diverse contexts.

Theological Horizons for a Pedagogy of Accompaniment.

Abstract One perceived concern in the process of educating in faith in the context of our Western societies is the temptation of approaching this experience primarily in terms of observable and measurable criteria (e.g., church growth, reception of sacraments, acquisition of factual knowledge, study of trends). Although Religious Education requires attention to such criteria, it cannot be limited to them. This article proposes a series of theological principles grounding what is presented here as a pedagogy of accompaniment that defines Religious Education as a journey leading to a transforming encounter with God. The proposal invites religious educators to appropriate biblical, theological, and spiritual categories within the Christian tradition and to remain open to the emergence of new categories as they reflect on the uniqueness of their own contexts.

Enhancing capacity among faith-based organizations to implement evidence-based cancer control programs: a community-engaged approach

Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) to promote cancer control among Latinos have proliferated in recent years, though adoption and implementation of these interventions by faith-based organizations (FBOs) is limited. Capacity building may be one strategy to promote implementation. In this qualitative study, 18 community key informants were interviewed to (a) understand existing capacity for health programming among Catholic parishes, (b) characterize parishes’ resource gaps and capacity-building needs implementing cancer control EBIs, and (c) elucidate strategies for delivering capacity-building assistance to parishes to facilitate implementation of EBIs. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted. Key informants concurred about the capacity of Catholic parishes to deliver health programs, and described attributes of parishes that make them strong partners in health promotion initiatives, including a mission to address physical and mental health, outreach to marginalized groups, altruism among members, and existing engagement in health programming. However, resource gaps and capacity building needs were also identified. Specific recommendations participants made about how existing resources might be leveraged to address challenges include to: establish parish wellness committees; provide “hands-on” learning opportunities for parishioners to gain program planning skills; offer continuous, tailored, on-site technical assistance; facilitate relationships between parishes and community resources; and provide financial support for parishes. Leveraging parishes’ existing resources and addressing their implementation needs may improve adoption of cancer control EBIs.

Latino Immigrants and the Redefinition of the US Catholic Experience in the Twenty-First Century

To speak of Catholicism in the United States until recently was almost tantamount to speaking of the experience of European immigrants and their descendants. They built most of the structures of what today is the largest church in the country. Major changes, however, would occur during the second half of the twentieth and early decades of the twenty-first centuries. Tens of millions of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean, mostly Catholic and Spanish-speaking, along with millions of Latinos already living in the country for several generations, are reshaping the entire US Catholic experience. Using American Catholicism as a case study, this chapter analyses tensions, possibilities, and transitions resulting from the profound impact of migratory and transnational dynamics upon religious communities in today’s global village.

Religious Education and the Communal Shaping of a Christian Social Consciousness: The Testimony of César Chávez

Abstract At the heart of the Christian experience lies the conviction that justice and freedom are essential to build communities where Gods love is authentically experienced by all. Such conviction emerges as part of an intentional process of faith formation that begins at home and must be constantly nurtured throughout the life cycle. This article argues that the shaping of a Christian social consciousness is an exercise that involves the work of many: family, mentors, religious educators, community of believers, and the larger society. The article is structured around the life and words of Catholic labor organizer César Chávez. It highlights how he was introduced to key elements of Christianity that shaped his work and examines the effects of his Gospel-inspired actions to achieve conditions of justice and freedom for many during his lifetime.