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Developing a Public Health Course to Train Undergraduate Student Health Messengers to Address Vaccine Hesitancy in an American Indian Community

Author

Listed:
  • Chassity Begay

    (Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

  • Carmella B. Kahn

    (College of Population Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA)

  • Tressica Johnson

    (Public Health Program, Diné College, Shiprock, NM 87420, USA)

  • Christopher J. Dickerson

    (Public Health Program, Diné College, Shiprock, NM 87420, USA)

  • Marissa Tutt

    (Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

  • Amber-Rose Begay

    (Public Health Program, Diné College, Shiprock, NM 87420, USA)

  • Mark Bauer

    (Public Health Program, Diné College, Shiprock, NM 87420, USA)

  • Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone

    (Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA)

Abstract

The purpose of the Diné Teachings and Public Health Students Informing Peers and Relatives about Vaccine Education (RAVE) project was to develop strategies for health communication that addressed COVID-19 vaccine safety for residents of the Navajo Nation. The RAVE project developed a 16-week course using the Diné Educational Philosophy as a framework to train Diné College (DC) public health undergraduate students ( n = 16) as health messengers to share COVID-19 vaccine safety information with unvaccinated peers and relatives. An online community survey ( n = 50) was used to assess DC community vaccination perceptions to guide course development. The two primary reasons survey participants got vaccinated were to protect the health of others [82% ( n = 41)] and to protect their own health [76% ( n = 38)]. A pretest/post-test and a retrospective pretest ( n = 13) were implemented to determine course effectiveness. A finding approaching significance was related to student confidence in being health messengers (9.1% increase). RAVE offers the first example in the published literature of successfully training American Indian undergraduate students in the context of a public health course to contribute to the response workforce during a public health crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Chassity Begay & Carmella B. Kahn & Tressica Johnson & Christopher J. Dickerson & Marissa Tutt & Amber-Rose Begay & Mark Bauer & Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone, 2024. "Developing a Public Health Course to Train Undergraduate Student Health Messengers to Address Vaccine Hesitancy in an American Indian Community," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(10), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:10:p:1320-:d:1492233
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    1. Carmella B. Kahn & DeeDee James & Shawndeena George & Tressica Johnson & Michelle Kahn-John & Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone & Chassity Begay & Marissa Tutt & Mark C. Bauer, 2023. "Diné (Navajo) Traditional Knowledge Holders’ Perspective of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.
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