Parish nurses influencing determinants of health.

How are the concepts health, health promotion, faith community, and health determinants connected? How can a nurse draw on the unique features of a faith community to promote health? In this article, we explore the relations among these concepts and consider the answers to these questions. Parish nurses provide a concrete example of the interactions among these concepts. They are often hired by faith communities to intentionally promote health within and beyond the faith community. Increasingly, faith communities are being used as settings for health promotion interventions. We describe examples of how a parish nurse can influence 2 determinants of health: social support and healthy child development.