Work

Interest in Health Promotion Among Korean American Seventh-day Adventists Attending a Religious Retreat

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Little is known about interest in faith-based health promotion programs among Asian American populations. Among the Christian denominations, the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church is known to place a strong doctrinal emphasis on health. OBJECTIVES: To understand appropriate ways to develop and implement health promotion programs and to conduct research among Korean American SDAs. METHODS: We collaborated with the North American Division of Korean SDA Churches which sponsors annual week-long religious retreats for their church members. We developed and administered a 10-page questionnaire at their 2009 retreat in order to assess socio-demographic and church characteristics, religiosity, perceived relationship between health and religion, and interest and preferences for church-based health promotion programs. RESULTS: Overall, 223 participants completed our survey (123 in Korean and 100 in English). The sample consisted of regular churchgoers who were involved in a variety of helping activities, and many holding leadership positions in their home churches. The vast majority was interested in receiving health information at church (80%) in the form of seminars, cooking classes and workshops (50-60%). Fewer respondents were interested in support groups (27%). Some interests and preferences differed between English and Korean language groups. CONCLUSION: Korean American SDA church retreat participants from a large geographic area are very interested in receiving health information and promoting health at their churches and can potentially serve as "agents of influence" in their respective communities.

Source: Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention

DOI: 10.7314/apjcp.2012.13.6.2923

Authors: Angela M. Jo, Annette E. Maxwell, Sun-Hye Choi, Roshan Bastani

Institutions: University of New Mexico, University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kaiser Permanente

Language: English

Topic: Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $200