Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards: ‘Denomination matters’ in Black-focused faith-based health programs

The health of Black churchgoers can differ depending on the denomination and the gender of the people in the pews, Duke University researchers have found, and scholars are urging more nuanced examination of the data to help address medical issues such as hypertension, obesity and depression. A five-year project of the university’s Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity with Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards found that Pentecostal women in particular had higher rates of obesity and hypertension than other Black churchgoers. “We want to get more information about why Pentecostal women have higher risk factors than women of other denominations,” said Keisha Bentley-Edwards, associate director of research at the Duke center, on Wednesday (June 23). “This is something that we really need to address, so we want to know what’s going on within their faith institutions.”

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