G.O.S.P.E.L.
Glorifying our Spiritual and Physical Existence for Life (GOSPEL) is a community-based health education program, which serves a collection of 11 African American churches in Montgomery County, MD. The GOSPEL program is funded by the African American Health Program (AAHP) of the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. Staff members from both the Research and Outreach cores of the USU Center for Health Disparities have worked in active collaboration with DHHS personnel and GOSPEL program outreach workers to design and implement a written questionnaire survey to assess the initial impact of the GOSPEL program. The GOSPEL Cares Needs Assessment Project was designed to identify congregants' health concerns and interests, as well as their familiarity with the GOSPEL program initiatives. Three surveys have been conducted. Preliminary results from the first two surveys suggest that GOSPEL is a well-utilized, accessible program and an important opportunity for providing community-based health education to African Americans. The third survey was expanded to ask about health knowledge relating to various conditions. The three surveys have all highlighted the prevalence of cardiovascular conditions in the community. In the third survey, almost half of the participants reported an interest in learning more about exercise.
Learn more about GOSPEL and its outreach workers.
