Restoring the Relationship Between Christianity and Science: A Tailored Health Communications Initiative for Watermark Health 公开

Abstract

Abstract

 

Restoring the Relationship Between Christianity and Science: A Tailored Health Communications Initiative for Watermark Health

 

By: Mary Ottley

 

Background:

Vaccines save roughly two to three million lives each year. Yet, despite the robust evidence of vaccines’ success, vaccine hesitancy is pervasive among many populations in the United States. In April 2021, the problem of vaccine hesitancy is acute as COVID-19 vaccines are widely available across the United States. Currently, the population most hesitant and least likely to be vaccinated is white evangelical Christians, according to a February 2021 Pew Research Center study. Considering these data, public health practitioners must address Christians’ concerns about vaccines. To galvanize sustained vaccine uptake, the historical chasm between the scientific community and the Christian community must be reconciled. 

 

The Special Studies Project:

Tailored, targeted health communications initiatives are an evidence-based intervention to address vaccine hesitancy among faith communities. This Special Studies Project seeks to implement education to increase vaccine uptake among the congregants of Watermark Community Church (WCC), to set the stage for future work assessing the effectiveness in addressing a root problem of evangelical Christian vaccine hesitancy: mistrust of science.  

 

Methods:

To obtain both qualitative and quantitative data about existing health literacy, healthcare decision-making processes, and attitudes about specific healthcare topics, I used a mixed-methods approach to survey (n=96) and interview (n=5) Watermark Community Church members. 

 

White Papers:

The final product of this Special Studies Project is a “starter series” of White Papers for Watermark Health, WCC’s healthcare ministry. The “starter series” is a collection of five one-page briefings aimed at restoring the relationship between Christianity and science by illustrating a harmonious relationship between the two communities. White Papers I-III build the “harmony framework” and White Papers IV-V elucidate the implications of the harmonious relationship in two specific healthcare topics: vaccine development and vaccine safety and efficacy. After the “starter series” is released, the goal of the White Papers Initiative is such that Watermark Health will continue to release additional White Papers on other, reader-designated healthcare topics of interest.

 

Conclusion:

This Special Studies Project, The White Papers Initiative, serves as an opportunity to heal the divide between Christianity and science while increasing vaccine uptake, specifically COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

 

Chapter I: Introduction………………………………………………………………………….1

List of Definitions and Abbreviations…………………………………………………………3

 

Chapter II: Literature Review…………………………………………………………………..5

Overview of Modern Vaccine Hesitancy…………………………………………………...…5

Table 1: “5C Antecedents” of Betsch et al.’s “5C Scale” (Betsch et al., 2018)…...….……….9

Overview of Religious Reasoning for Vaccine Hesitancy…....………..…………..…………10

A Closer Look at Christian Vaccine Hesitancy…….……….………….………..……………15

Overview of the Chasm Between Science and Protestant Christianity in the US…………….19

Overcoming Mistrust: Examples from Relevant Vaccine Uptake Interventions……………..26

Conclusion…………………………............……………………....………...…...……….....28

 

Chapter III: Methodology……………………………………………………………...………30

 

Chapter IV: Results…………………………………………………………………………….37

Table 2: List of complete responses and the associated data for each of the aforementioned online survey questions…………....40

Table 3: Summary of White Paper “Starter Series” content………………………………....42 

White Paper I | A Modern History of Christianity and Science & A Vision for the Future…....44

White Paper II | Implications for Public Health……………………………………………....45

White Paper III | Implications for Individual Health……………………………………….....46

White Paper IV | Implications for Healthcare Decision-Making: Vaccine Development…….47

White Paper V | Implications for Healthcare Decision-Making: Vaccine Safety & Efficacy....48

 

Chapter V: Discussion, Recommendations, Implications, and Conclusion............................49 

Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………49

Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………51

Implications…………………………………………………………………………………..54

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….......56

 

References……………………………………………………………………………………….57

 

Appendix I: In-Depth Interview Guide………………………………………………….........…..63

Appendix II: Google Form Survey for Watermark Members…………………………….........…68

Appendix III: Google Form Survey for Watermark Health Medical Providers…………..........…80

About this Master's Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Theology Religion, General Health Sciences, Public Health
关键词	Religion Vaccine Hesitancy Evangelical Christianity Vaccinations Public Health
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Robert A. Bednarczyk, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Religious-based organization

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