Social work in public health
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Soc Work Public Health · Jan 2019
ReviewRacism and the Christian Church in America: Caught between the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Those persons with church membership or professing a faith or relationship with God represent a microcosm of society. Therefore, the demons of racism, bigotry, and prejudice found in society at large are found in the church. ⋯ Some Christian denominations have begun to explore racism in the church and have developed responses to addressing the issues in the church and in the world. This article examines the historical context of race and religion in the Christian church in the United States, and addresses the current efforts of some Christian denominations to become proactive in the struggle against racism.
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Soc Work Public Health · Jan 2019
How Social Welfare and Health Professionals Understand "Race," Racism, and Whiteness: A Social Justice Approach to Grounded Theory.
Social welfare and health professionals continually practice within communities, either directly as practitioners or indirectly by supervising students and co-workers. The current study investigated how social welfare and health professionals conceptualized race, racism, and whiteness in health disparities discourse. ⋯ The analysis revealed four theoretical categories that characterized facets of how social welfare and health professionals' understand race, racism, and whiteness: (1) self-defined skin color; (2) (pre)judgments and discrimination; (3) privilege and power; and (4) conceptual conflation and unfamiliarity. The findings suggest more emphasis during training and in workplace settings on concepts such as power, inequities, and structural racism may significantly improve the efficacy and scope of REHD interventions by expanding social welfare and health professionals' understanding of race, racism, and whiteness beyond interpersonal level interactions.
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Soc Work Public Health · Jan 2019
Neighborhood Perceptions of Gun Violence and Safety: Findings from a Public Health-Social Work Intervention.
Efforts to reduce gun violence have moved away from models that rely solely on law enforcement approaches, toward public health-focused models of intervention. This paper discusses urban gun violence from a public health and social work perspective, examining a method to interrupt, reduce and prevent gun violence at the community level. ⋯ Five key findings emerged from the data analysis: 1) Violence was viewed as significant, widespread and a source of despair and hopelessness; 2) Residents perceived a lack of resources and opportunities within the community; 3) There was general consensus regarding the program's importance to the community; 4) There were several obstacles and challenges to program implementation as identified by participants; and 5) Community involvement and shared responsibility were viewed as central to the reduction of gun and related violence. Recommendations for practice and policy changes and the potential role for social work in future collective efficacy and social change initiatives are also discussed.
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Soc Work Public Health · Jan 2019
"The Bottle Is My Wife": Exploring Reasons Why Men Drink Alcohol in Ugandan Fishing Communities.
Fishing communities in Uganda have high rates of excessive alcohol consumption and negative health outcomes related to alcohol consumption, such as HIV acquisition and transmission and intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration. Research lacks understanding of alcohol use in Ugandan fishing communities, underlying reasons for excessive drinking among fishermen or how their community perceives negative health outcomes linked to excessive alcohol consumption. This qualitative study was conducted among Ugandan fisherfolk to determine why excessive alcohol consumption has overtaken their communities. ⋯ Participants acknowledged links between excessive alcohol consumption and negative health outcomes within their families and communities. These findings highlight the need for alcohol-related reduction interventions that are sensitive to contextual factors and self-identified contributors to problematic alcohol use within individuals and their communities. Such interventions must consider the social, ecological and economic conditions within fishing sites, focusing not only on individual-level behavioral change but also challenging the underlying structures that foster excessive alcohol consumption.
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For several decades, child welfare researchers have explored the issue of disproportionality in child welfare. Top-level government reports have confirmed that African-American children are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system. ⋯ This article shares findings of a research study and is focused on the use of data as a strategy to improve racial equity in child welfare. It uses critical race theory (CRT) to explain how racism can impact equity in the provision of child welfare services.