Black Pastors as Change Agents Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination in South Carolina: Application of Diffusion of Innovations Theory

DaKysha Moore^1, , Lisa N. Mansfield², Nicole Caviness-Ashe³ and Elijah O. Onsomu⁴

¹Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC

²School of Nursing, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

³Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program, Heersink School of Medicine, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

⁴Division of Nursing, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC

Cite this paper:
DaKysha Moore, Lisa N. Mansfield, Nicole Caviness-Ashe and Elijah O. Onsomu. Black Pastors as Change Agents Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination in South Carolina: Application of Diffusion of Innovations Theory. American Journal of Public Health Research. 2025; 13(2):74-79. doi: 10.12691/ajphr-13-2-6

Abstract

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.

Keywords:
Church Leaders Community COVID-19 Faith Community Health Communication Religion Vaccine

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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