Church leaders have used scripture to encourage congregants to reflect on their health choices. Still, this study focuses on Black pastors who used other approaches to prompt awareness about COVID-19 and vaccination. The purpose of the study is to explore how Black posters use medical information and scripture to discuss COVID-19 vaccination within the communities they serve. This study uses a phenomenological design; ten Black pastors in South Carolina were recruited through snowball sampling to learn about their information dissemination practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study describes their rhetoric, foregrounding medical facts and supporting them with biblical passages. The pastors who participated in semi-structured interviews presented scientific information to the church community and encouraged members to "follow the science." Two central themes emerged from the study: 1) Stand by the science to educate the Black community about COVID-19 vaccines, and 2) Balancing science and scripture to reinforce positive COVID-19 vaccine messaging. The study's implication demonstrates how Black pastors are instrumental in providing a narrative of factual health information in a spiritual setting.

This paper focuses on a developed assignment for students who are taking a Communication Ethics course. The assignment could act as a guideline for assisting instructors in developing a case study that discusses specific health disparities as it relates to communication ethics in a healthcare setting. Instructors can develop a case study that encourages students to investigate and apply communication ethics concepts to research and healthcare exchanges. The assignment is designed to introduce undergraduates to ethical behavior in healthcare communications and research. The case study also informs students about illnesses that might affect specific communities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many minority communities tried different strategies to increase their members' vaccination rates. This study uses diffusion of innovations theory [1] with a focus on "the sequence of change agent roles" to explore Black pastors' approach to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Ten semi-structured interviews gauged how Black pastors understood their role in increasing vaccine use in their communities. Seven themes emerged from analysis: creating awareness of change; establishing a connection; seeking to understand; encouraging the new behavior; leveraging the power of interpersonal communication; maintaining support; and providing future assistance. Results im-ply that by continuing to work with healthcare providers, Black pastors can help to in-crease awareness about annual COVID-19 boosters among their church members and in surrounding communities.

In many cultures, infertility is a health issue that is not discussed, especially in public. In Kenya, the fertility rate, slightly over 3 births per woman, has been in decline, and while some couples are deciding to have fewer children, some are diagnosed with infertility. African countries generally tend to have a low primary infertility rate but high secondary infertility rates; infertility is more common after a successful first birth. Because many health and social factors have relevance, this paper explores narratives about infertility in news videos posted on YouTube in Kenya. The researchers analyzed 20 videos that met the criteria: posted 7 years ago or less and less than 20 minutes long. Results reflect concerns about stigma, stress, and fertility treatment options. The implications are important for educating more couples about getting assistance for infertility

Some church leaders work to increase HIV testing and spread messages to reduce stigma. This study focuses on how leaders of North Carolina churches considered welcoming and affirming by the LGBTQ+ community discuss and disseminate information about HIV/AIDS to church members and communities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six leaders of different denominations between April and May 2023. A thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews found three main approaches: 1) HIV is not addressed directly, but we are here; 2) provide access to educational resources; and 3) fight stigma. Results confirm welcoming/affirming churches could play a significant role in, not only educating their communities about HIV, but also reducing the stigma associated with the disease.

COVID-19 vaccination rates have increased since vaccine distribution began in December 2020. However, in some states, such as South Carolina (during Spring 2022-slightly less than 60% of the total population is fully vaccinated), getting people to take the vaccine has been more challenging. Among African Americans, vaccine hesitancy could be for several reasons including lack of confidence in the medical community and vaccine. Nevertheless, utilizing faith-based leaders, such as pastors, hold promise for increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates among African Americans in South Carolina. However, how pastors communicate information about COVID-19 vaccines in the African American community should be investigated. The purpose of this study is to explore the communication strategies that pastors in predominantly African American churches use to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among churchgoers and the surrounding community. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 pastors in South Carolina. Three main themes emerged 1) multiple communication channels and accessibility, 2) trust, and 3) lead by example to strengthen commitment to health. As there continues to be an increased need for COVID-19 vaccination, including booster vaccines, pastors may be a source to promote COVID-19 vaccine information and community outreach for COVID-19 vaccination among African Americans.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders common across Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries such as Nigeria and Ghana have a high prevalence of the inherited condition, which causes, for most patients, severe pain during a crisis and can lead to serious complications, such as anaemia and stroke. This study examines messaging about SCD in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda posted on YouTube. It used DISCERN and Global Quality Score instruments to analyse a total of 58 videos from the four countries. Most were from news organizations. The most common DISCERN and Global Quality Score was a 3, which means the basic background information provided was not extensive but still useful. There was an association between the type of message and video uploader (Fisher's exact, p = 0.0001). However, no significant associations were found between the type of message and country (Fisher's exact, p = 0.219), using overall DISCERN and video uploader (Fisher's exact, p = 0.485), or using global quality score and video uploader (Fisher's exact, p = 0.818). The videos analysed not only gave the public some medical information but also addressed some of the social issues associated with SCD and helped to increase public awareness of the disease

This presentation focuses on a teaching assignment, which addresses how developing a project for an interpersonal communication course can help educate undergraduate students about reducing health disparities in their respective careers. The course is part of the curriculum in a Speech Program (Speech Communication Studies and Speech, Language, Pathology & Audiology), housed in a College of Health & Human Sciences. There are research studies that suggest one way of reducing health disparities is to teach future health care clinicians, those in healthcare sciences, and allied health programs on health disparities, social determinants of health, and more recently population health. Therefore, the purpose of the class project is to introduce students, especially those at an Historically Black College/University, to the main areas of health disparities and the importance of interpersonal communication as a possible tool to reduce them. The instructor/s of the course should teach sessions explaining both health disparities, and social determinants of health. Once students have a better understanding of the different health disparities, they are asked to make connections between specific interpersonal communication terms: types of communication noises, ethnocentrism, and identity management; and explain how the concepts could play a role towards reducing health disparities in their respective careers especially those majoring in a healthcare related field. The activity was conducted through group projects, that allowed students to use collaborations within their majors and others to better recognize how future healthcare professionals could use specific interpersonal communication skills to create more awareness and possibly help lessen poor health outcomes due to health disparities within their communities. Besides the interpersonal communication course, the assignment could be used for students taking a health communication, health education, and intercultural communication courses.

In Kenya, stigma directly or indirectly continues to play a major role in spreading HIV/AIDS. Negative attitudes, perceptions, and discrimination toward people who are HIV positive or have AIDS can adversely affect their willingness to be tested and adhere to antiretroviral therapy. This study examined the effect of mass media exposure on HIV/AIDS stigma among men and women in Kenya. It uses retrospective cross-sectional data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2008/09, adjusting for weights and strata to account for its complex design. The study sample comprised women aged 15-49 (n = 3,811) and men aged 15-54 (n = 3,095) who agreed to voluntary counselling and testing for HIV. Among them, 8.34% of the women and 4.98% of the men tested positive for HIV. Women who consumed all forms of media (newspapers, magazines, radio, and television) represented 23.05% of the sample, while those who consumed none comprised 6.89% (F[2.77, 1053.35] = 24.3; p < 0.001); the results for men were 22.06% vs 1.31% (F[2.89, 1098.72]) = 17.84; p < 0.001). Women and men who consumed all media almost every day were 11% (AOR = 0.89; p < 0.05) and 25% (AOR = 0.75; p < 0.01), respectively, less likely to impute HIV/AIDS stigma than those who never consumed all forms of media. Those who consumed all media forms less than once a week were 48% (AOR = 0.52; p < 0.05), and those who consumed them almost every day were 21% (AOR = 0.79), p < 0.001) less likely to impute an HIV/AIDS stigma compared to those who never consumed any media sources. All media consumption, particularly reading newspapers/magazines, reduced HIV/AIDS stigma. The study concluded that all forms of media should build on and scale up such efforts to reduce the HIV/AIDS stigma that impedes Kenyans from protecting their health.

COVID-19 vaccination rates have increased since distribution began in December 2020. However, in some states, such as South Carolina, getting people to take the vaccine has been challenging; as of spring 2022, slightly less than 60% of the total population is fully vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy among Black Americans may be explained by several factors, including lack of confidence in the medical establishment and vaccines in particular. Faith-based leaders, such as pastors, can make a difference. This study explores the communication strategies that pastors in predominantly Black churches use to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among churchgoers and the surrounding community. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 pastors in South Carolina. The main themes that emerged are: (1) using various communication channels to ensure access; (2) representing a trusted source of information; (3) offering a role model for vaccination-leading by example; and (4) strengthening the commitment to health. As the need for COVID-19 vaccination continues, including booster vaccines, pastors can provide accurate information and community outreach to promote the health of Black communities.

An understanding of genetics is becoming increasingly relevant to receiving medical care. It is important for health care providers and educators, including genetic counselors, to understand patients' perceptions about trait transmission and their interpretation of terms used in biomedicine. Knowledge about the patient perspective about trait transmission is important when health care providers are not fluent in the patient's language. Sixty Latinx immigrant adults (30 men and 30 women) who were born in Mexico or Central America (MCA) and living in North Carolina were interviewed about their heredity beliefs. By design, most participants had limited education. Eight percent had a least a high school education; 45% had less than a seventh grade education. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted to examine how participants think and discuss trait transmission. The translated transcripts were systematically analyzed using a case-based approach, supplemented by theme-based coding. Five lay mental models of heredity were identified that varied in terms of involvement of genes. Four of the five heredity mental models encompass genes; four out of five mental models do not link DNA to heredity. The centrality of blood, whether used metaphorically or literally, varies widely across the models. One model references God and depicts that heredity involves blood and/or genes, but not DNA. The mental models of heredity for most adult immigrants with limited education do not include DNA. Trait transmission by blood appears to have a more prominent role in lay mental models held by Mexicans than Central Americans. Increased patient knowledge about genetics can facilitate shared decision-making as genetics becomes increasingly relevant to medical care. Efforts to educate people can be most effective when we first understand the layperson's conceptions or mental models. Health care providers and educators should be aware that MCA adults with limited formal education hold diverse mental models about heredity.

This analysis describes beliefs about secondhand smoke and its health effects held by Mexican and Central American immigrants in North Carolina. Data from 60 semistructured, in-depth interviews were subjected to saliency analysis. Participant discussions of secondhand smoke centered on four domains: (1) familiarity and definition of secondhand smoke, (2) potency of secondhand smoke, (3) general health effects of secondhand smoke, and (4) child health effects of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke was generally believed to be more harmful than primary smoke. Mechanisms for the potency and health effects of secondhand smoke involved the smell of secondhand smoke, secondhand smoke being an infection and affecting the immune system, and personal strength being protective of secondhand smoke. Understanding these health beliefs informs a framework for further health education and intervention to reduce smoking and secondhand smoke exposure in this vulnerable population.

Child morbidity and mortality due to infectious diseases continues to be a major threat and public health concern worldwide. Although global vaccination coverage reached 90 % for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) across 129 countries, Kenya and other sub-Saharan countries continue to experience under-vaccination. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between maternal education and child immunization (12-23 months) in Kenya. This study used retrospective cross-sectional data from the 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey for women aged 15-49, who had children aged 12-23 months, and who answered questions about vaccination in the survey (n = 1,707). The majority of the children had received vaccinations, with 77 % for poliomyelitis, 74 % for measles, 94 % for tuberculosis, and 91 % for diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), and tetanus. After adjusting for other covariates, women with primary, secondary, and college/university education were between 2.21 (p < 0.01) and 9.10 (p < 0.001) times more likely to immunize their children than those who had less than a primary education. Maternal education is clearly crucial in ensuring good health outcomes among children, and integrating immunization knowledge with maternal and child health services is imperative. More research is needed to identify factors influencing immunization decisions among less-educated women in Kenya.

The lack of a medical cure for AIDS puts the spotlight on preventive efforts. Therefore, an enormous responsibility is placed on communication since it plays an important role in disseminating information that may prevent risky behaviour as well as help in reducing stigma of AIDS patients. In this article, we wish to highlight what we consider to be important elements in a successful or effective campaign. The article will begin with an overview of important models/theories that are related to HIV/AIDS prevention noting their theoretical contributions as well as some of their weaknesses in addressing pertinent factors. This will be followed by our description of an effective HIV/AIDS prevention campaign. This article also underlines the importance of local stakeholders. The challenge for communication and programme managers/practitioners is to identify and seek collaboration of important local stakeholders.

HIV/AIDS has had a profound effect on the African American community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [1], in 2010, African American women accounted for more than 25% of new HIV cases among Blacks. This staggering statistic has sparked social campaigns, including films that aim to address or hinder the spread of HIV. The film Life Support focuses on the social issues that shape the lives of African American women with HIV/AIDS. This study analyzed the film using Black feminist thought as the conceptual framework for understanding the everyday experiences of the main character, Ana, related to contracting the disease, stigma, sexuality, support systems, and coping mechanisms. It shows that knowledge is an important tool for living and coping with the disease. Additionally, it explores the image of HIV/AIDS among African American women. The film’s themes include Ana as a change agent, Life Support conversations, and positive and negative relationships.

The educational challenges girls face are often explained by economics. However, gender norms and identities, constructed historically but subject to change, also play a crucial role. In Kenya, little attention has been paid to the negative social constructions that keep girls from attaining the education they want. This article analyses the role of social construction among girls who are in and out of two secondary schools in Nairobi province, Kenya. Data were obtained from interviews with adolescent girls attending the schools, female dropouts previously affiliated with those two schools, and teachers at the schools. All the challenges that girls faced in attempting to secure secondary education were linked to social construction; they were deeply rooted in gender roles as defined by the cultural context and reinforced by socialisation. Based on the results, the authors hold that women must lead community efforts toward changes that will enhance their daughters’ educational opportunities.

The main objective of this study was to examine the association between media exposure and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), and factors that influenced VCT among Kenyan women and men. Retrospective cross-sectional data from Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2003 were used, adjusting for weights and strata to account for survey complex design. The study sample comprised women aged 15 to 49 (n = 8,050) and men aged 15 to 54 (n = 3,539). Among those who read newspapers/magazines almost every day, fewer women (15%) had been tested for HIV than men (31%), p < .001. Among women, those who read newspapers/magazines at least once a week (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.29, p < .001) and almost every day (AOR = 1.3, p < .001) were more likely to be tested than those who did not read at all. Among men, this was nonsignificant. However, those who read newspapers/magazines almost every day (AOR = 1.14, p < .05) were more likely to be tested than those who did not read at all. Significant odds of being tested for HIV were observed among men who watched television almost every day (AOR = 1.21, p < .001) versus women (AOR = 1.07, p < .05) compared with those who did not watch television at all. Results suggest a need to increase HIV messages in all media to scaling-up HIV testing in Kenya.

The study purpose was to determine the association between sexual debut and HIV sero-status, and factors contributing to a positive HIV sero-status. Retrospective cross-sectional data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey-2003 were used. Data on women aged 15-49 (n = 3,273) and men aged 15-54 (n = 2,917) accepting HIV testing were retained from three datasets. Stata version 10.1 was used for analyses, p < 0.05. Nine percent of women and 5% of men tested positive for HIV, of whom 46% and 49%, p < 0.001 were aged 16-21 respectively. After adjusting for confounding, women and men who had sexual debut aged 16-21 were 2.31 (95% CI: 1.52-3.51), p < 0.001 and 1.83 (95% CI: 1.07-3.13), p < 0.05 times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to those who never had sex respectively. Early sexual debut continues to be a major risk factor for acquiring HIV infection later in life, suggesting earlier interventions could have a major impact towards fighting the disease.

The objective of this study was to examine the association between education and domestic violence among women being offered an HIV test in urban and rural areas in Kenya. A sample selection of women who experienced physical (n = 4,308), sexual (n = 4,309), and emotional violence (n = 4,312) aged 15 to 49 allowed for the estimation of the association between education and domestic violence with further analysis stratified by urban and rural residence. The main outcome of interest was a three-factor (physical, sexual, and emotional) measure for violence with the main predictor being education. Nearly half of all domestic violence, physical (46%), sexual (45%), and emotional (45%) occurred among women aged 15 to 29. After adjusting for confounding variables, women who resided in urban areas and had a postprimary/vocational/secondary and college/university education were 26% (OR = 0.74, 95% CI: [0.64, 0.86]), p < .001 and 22% (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: [0.66, 0.92]), p < .01 less likely to have experienced physical violence compared to those who had a primary education respectively. This was 17% (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: [0.73, 0.94]), p < .01 and 17% (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: [0.72, 0.96]), p < .05 less likely among women who resided in rural areas. A surprising finding was that women residing in rural areas with less than a primary education were 35% less likely to have experienced sexual violence (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: [0.43, 0.99]), p < .01 compared to those who had a primary education. These findings suggest that physical, sexual, and emotional violence were prevalent in Kenya among married and formerly married women. This study indicates that more research is needed to understand factors for HIV/AIDS among Kenyan women who have specifically tested positive for HIV or identified as AIDS-positive and the implications for women’s health.