Religious congregations and health information diffusion: Implications for viral marketing and peer referral programs

While the acknowledgement of a link between religion and health is not new, the possibility of religious congregations as unique incubators for peer to peer health information diffusion remains relatively unexplored. To address that gap, this essay briefly reviews evidence of a mechanism through which religiosity affects altruistic behavior, discusses evidence that religious communities tend to foster health information sharing, and offers implications for applied communication practice. © 2011 National Communication Association.

Duke Scholars

Author Brian Glen Southwell Medicine, General Internal Medicine