#  The Influence of Religion in Global Health Equity 

 





February 13, 2023

 

 

     ![William Hsiao.](/sites/g/files/omnuum10866/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-09/20230207_GHELI_Hsiao-int-BTS_023.jpg?itok=CAeE2A8B) 

GHELI Senior Faculty Scholar Professor William Hsiao.



 



 

What role does religion play in shaping health equity? That’s what GHELI Senior Faculty Scholar Professor William Hsiao and Professor Ellen Idler from Emory University set out to answer in a December 2022 Religion and Foreign Policy webinar hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations.The webinar, titled “[Healthcare Equity and Accessibility Around the World](https://www.cfr.org/event/social-justice-webinar-healthcare-equity-and-accessibility-around-world),” discussed the intersection of health systems and faith in pursuing equitable health and health care.

Religion and its implications for social connectivity can be considered an important social determinant of health, said Idler. At the individual level, connection to a religious community is protective of health. For example, people who regularly attended religious gatherings tended to live longer, according to a systematic review [article](https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2022.11086) on spirituality and serious illness published in *JAMA*.

Hsiao explained how religion can also shape health and health equity at a structural level. In many ways, religion influences the deeply embedded cultural and moral values of a population, which can affect how health systems operate and what areas are selected for reform.

“Ethical principles are influenced strongly by religious faith,” said Hsiao. “Religion has a very close tie and strong influence on the goals a country sets for itself. But it’s different between countries, though, because their values and their religion can differ greatly.”

Hsiao pointed to how differing religious views on topics such as gender equality and abortion have played out in the health policies and politics of countries. But he also acknowledged how religion can have a powerful synergy with advancing universal care. “\[Religions\] really all embrace certain fundamental beliefs about human beings,” said Hsiao. “They expect a basic principle that every human being may have some part which is given by God.”

For faith-based organizations wanting to use that driving force to reduce health inequities, Hsiao recommended that they translate their religious beliefs into a set of ethical standards that can be used in policy.

“I believe there are two vehicles where the individual religious organization can make the most difference. One is, particularly here in the United States, to get people to discuss the ethical value for health care,” said Hsiao. “The second part is to actually engage in some political organizations.”

Hsiao gave the example of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, which has successfully engaged with local politicians to advance a number of social reforms. “They’re very effective because religious organizations have a moral standing,” said Hsiao. “The people really listen to religious organizations and groups organized by religious groups.”

To learn more about how cultural factors like religion influence health, check out these related resources from the Incubator’s digital repository:

- [Lancet Commission 2014: Culture and Health](https://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/11056)
- [Status and Drivers of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health in the Islamic World](https://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/12405)
- [Perspectives on Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health](https://repository.gheli.harvard.edu/repository/12013)



 

 

 



 

 

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