Abstract
BACKGROUND: Religion and public health, when understood in their broadest sense, are systems of knowledge and practice that seek to improve the wellbeing of people and populations. With over 75.8% of the global population identifying with some form of religious belief, understanding how the public health community conceptualizes religion and engages with it is essential for meaningful collaboration. The purpose of this study is to explore the conceptualizations of and relationships between religion and public health, focusing on public health practitioners’ experiences in engaging with religious communities. METHODS: This qualitative study involved interviews with 15 North American public health practitioners across diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds, examining their perspectives on religion’s role in health interventions, with a particular focus on the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Using a framework analysis, three key thematic areas emerged, including: (1) Conceptualizations of religion and how it contributes to individual and collective wellbeing; (2) Current relationship between public health and religion; and (3) Opportunities for and strategies to establish deeper collaboration. The results reveal a strong perception among public health professionals that religious communities are being engaged in an instrumental and transactional manner to achieve public health’s agenda, rather than as true partners that co-design health interventions. While some religious communities are compliant with such interactions, many are reluctant in engaging with public health communities. To move away from instrumental and transactional interactions to meaningful engagement, interviewees share numerous strategies consistent with the principles of community-engaged research (e.g., engaging with religious communities with sincerity, humility, transparency, and valuing the knowledge these communities possess). DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that the prerequisites for effective engagement between public health and religious communities is based on foundational principles such as trust, transparency, and the need to identify points of commonality in order to organically work towards improving the health and wellbeing of communities. Putting these principles into practice raises questions about concepts such as expertise, access to knowledge, problem identification, and prioritization. In addition, it challenges the current structures and financing mechanisms for public health practice. Integration of religion into public health education could serve as a foundation to foster more inclusive and integrative public health practice. While more research must be conducted with broader samples, insights from this study underscore the potential for more inclusive public health approaches that better address the diverse spiritual and cultural landscapes of global populations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-026-26411-7.