Table 3.
Content of Health Education Comparison Group Sessions.
| Week | Major Theme | Group Session (led by Church Health Advisors) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | Overview of program. Reasons to maintain health and assessment of health risks |
| 2 | Mental Health and Stress | Stress management strategies and indications to seek mental health care |
| 3 | Heart Disease and Stroke | Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Signs of a heart attack and stroke |
| 4 | Diabetes | Identify types of diabetes; risk factors, signs and symptoms and preventive strategies |
| 5 | Cancer | Common types; risk factors; signs and symptoms; ways to detect and prevention of cancer |
| 6 | Smoking | Health impact of smoking on smoker and second hand smoke, social action, and cessation techniques |
| 7 | Injury and Violence | Role of injury on health, common injuries and preventive strategies. |
| 8 | Asthma | Identify risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnostic criteria, treatment, and emergency asthma symptoms |
| 9 | Nutrition | Identify caloric needs, types of nutrients in a healthy diet, reading food labels, and healthy eating |
| 10 | Physical Activity | Identify benefits of PA, recommended weekly PA-levels, types of PA, strategies to meet activity goals, injury prevention. Instruct on pedometers and distribute pedometers |
| 11 | HIV/AIDS | Differences between HIV and AIDS, HIV transmission, risk factors, prevention, signs, symptoms and treatment |
| 12 | Communicating with Your Healthcare Provider | Effective communication with health team and low cost community health care |
| Month | Post-Core Sessions | |
| 1 | Review health risks and Mental Health | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing. |
| 2 | Review Heart Disease & Stroke and Diabetes | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing. |
| 3 | Review Cancer and Smoking | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing |
| 4 | Review Injury & Violence and Asthma | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing |
| 5 | Review Nutrition and Physical Activity | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing |
| 6 | Review HIV/AIDS & Health Communication | Review key content of combined sessions using questions and sharing |