Healthy Spaces in Meaningful Places: The Rural Church and Women's Health Promotion

Area of Science:

• Health Research
• Rural Health
• Sociology

Background:

• The influence of place on health is an emerging area in health research.
• Understanding of rural places is complex, balancing geographic and sociocultural aspects.
• Rural women's health promotion experiences within the context of the rural church are underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illuminate the significance of place for rural women's health promotion experiences.
• To explore how the rural church functions as a significant place for health promotion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel interpretive phenomenological methodology.
• Incorporated the photovoice method to elicit individual and shared meanings.
• Included 22 participants through photography, logbooks, and individual/group interviews.

Main Results:

• The church as a place was understood through physical/geographic environments, experiential attachment/personal meaning, and shared culture/beliefs.
• Place is best interpreted through an experiential lens, reflecting lived and felt spaces.
• Rural churches offer a unique intersection of physical and experiential realities for health promotion.

Conclusions:

• Place encompasses physical, experiential, cultural, and meaningful dimensions.
• Place is a vital resource for rural women's health and well-being.
• Recognizing place-shaped experiences is essential for effective rural women's health promotion strategies.