Application of the Need and Asset Model to Church-Based HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control

The recent global focus on the promotion of faith-based health and social interventions requires two major empirical data sets: (a), an understanding of how the health needs of churches relate to the assets they hold and (b) the collective capacity of members to use needed resources to help address a wide range of health issues including HIV/AIDS that continue to challenge many African countries' already limited health-related resources. In this study, we hypothesized that if Nigerian churches have less stated perceived needs in relation to more perceived assets that could be used for HIV/AIDS prevention and control, they would have greater collective efficacy and engage in more HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities. Estimates of churches' perceived needs, assets, collective efficacy, and activities as reported by church members from 81 Nigerian churches were aggregated. The linear regression method was used to test if needs and assets predicted collective efficacy and HIV/AIDS activities. The sum of church needs was positively related to collective efficacy (p < .01) and assets and collective efficacy predicted more HIV/AIDS-related activities (p < .01). Churches that had more members with a university education and those who had longer average church membership times had lower reported HIV/AIDS-related activity. The unexpected positive relationship between needs and collective efficacy in this cross-sectional study could be the result of those with higher collective efficacy having thought more about how to engage in HIV/AIDS prevention and control activities and, thus, being more aware of their needs.