Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/91765459172
Jonah Keating
Hi! My name is Jonah and I am a sophomore at Wesleyan University, double majoring in Government and Music. I love to play guitar, throw fire, and cook. I am an amalgamation of data. A construct to be analyzed, I am the class, I am the code, I am a column.
Abstract: Christian institutional presence has been linked to positive individual health outcomes in existing literature, yet the community-level effects of religious adherence remain understudied. This study examines whether the aggregate prevalence of Christian adherence across U.S. counties is associated with positive self-rated health and social connectedness, controlling for poverty rate and education. Using county-level data from the BRFSS, FEMA, and ARDA across 2,998 counties, multiple linear regression models reveal that Christian adherence is significantly and negatively associated with both outcomes, even after accounting for socioeconomic controls. These findings run counter to the primary hypothesis and suggest that the health benefits observed at the individual level may not translate to the same positive health outcomes at the broader county level.
QAC201_Poster-Final-Jonah-2