Community-based health promotion: a survey of churches, labor unions, supermarkets, and restaurants.

A telephone survey of randomly-sampled churches, labor unions, supermarkets and restaurants was conducted in San Diego, California to determine the level of health promotion activities offered for members and customers. Nearly two-thirds of the churches offered health promotion programs, the bulk of which were single educational sessions. A similar proportion of labor unions reported programs, and most of them consisted of the distribution of materials and single-session group meetings. About one-third of the supermarkets reported activities, with most of these being the distribution of brochures. Similarly, about one-third of restaurants reported programs, which primarily consisted of the enforcement of no-smoking regulations. Very few organizations evaluated programs or desired assistance from health professionals. It was concluded that while secular health promotion programs are common and are available to many people, their quality and effectiveness are unknown. These findings present a challenge for public health professionals and agencies.