Religion and health relationships: A review

Factors that influence safe water drinking practices among older persons in slums of Kampala: Analyzing disparities in boiling water

INTRODUCTION

Safe drinking water practice is a key public health promotion strategy for reducing the spread of waterborne diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that influence boiling water practice among older persons in informal settlements of Kampala.

METHODS

We collected primary data on "Access to safe water and health services among older persons in informal settlements of Kampala in October 2022. The study interviewed 593 men and women aged 60 years and older. The Complementary log-log multivariable technique was used to establish the association between boiling water practice and selected independent variables.

RESULTS

The results show that nearly 8% of the respondents did not boil their water for drinking. The findings show that the female older persons had increased odds of boiling water to make it safe for drinking compared to their male counterparts (OR = 1.859, 95% CI = 1.384-2.495). Other factors associated with boiling water practice among older persons in the informal settlements of Kampala were; living alone, quality of house, and type of water source.

CONCLUSION

Basing on our findings, we find that older women are more likely to use safe drinking water practice (boiling) compared to the male older persons. Health education majorly targeting older men about the importance and health benefits associated with safe water drinking practices should be prioritized by policy makers. There is need to improve housing conditions of older persons to minimize typhoid, diarrhea and other health risks associated with drinking unsafely managed water.

The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on Health in Canada: A Systematic Literature Review

The association between religion and health has been the subject of growing interest in academia. However, limited reviews of such studies in Canada exist. The paper systematically reviews and synthesizes existing literature on the relationship between spirituality and health in Canada. Available general databases such as: Medline; Web of Science, PubMed, Sociological abstract, Social Service Abstracts, Google scholar, Humanities International Index, JSTOR, CPI.Q Canadian Periodicals, and American Theological Library Association were searched for the period between 2000 and April 2019 inclusive. Collected data were then systematically analysed for common themes about spirituality and health in Canada. In total, 151 articles were found, but only 128 had relevance with the study objectives. Overall, the analysis showed that religion and spirituality do influence health behaviours, and well-being. However, more gender-based studies need to be conducted to tease out the differences in religion/spirituality and health across different genders, and ethnic groups in Canada.

"You Will Not Mourn Your Children": Spirituality and Child Health in Ibadan Urban Markets

The urban Ibadan market is not only important for its economic value, but also for its representation of the worldview of the Yoruba people of South-Western Nigeria. Yoruba urban markets are adorned with different spiritualists who also earn their livelihood in the market space. Hence, through the employment of observations and in-depth interviews, the study examines how spirituality shapes child health and mothers' health seeking behaviours in Ibadan urban markets.

Religious Orientation, Endorser Credibility, and the Portrayal of Female Nurses by the Media

Medical consumption and media culture in Taiwan contain clear religious elements. It is common for people to believe that medicine is a supernatural treatment and to rely on thoughts of unseen power instead of rational consciousness. Religious-influenced patriarchy, seen in cultural gender roles, significantly influences religious adherents and degrades women as being part of a secondary class in society. As a contradictory tradition, women, in comparison to men, are considered best at undertaking certain jobs that require careful, detailed thought (such as nurses). Nursing and other occupations requiring a high degree of professionalism by women contradict the past religious-based concept of "ignorance is a woman's virtue." This study aims to probe female imagery in eastern and western Taiwan and explores whether religious culture and practice influences people's cognition of female nurses in advertising. The constructs are analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results reveal that religious followers do not necessarily trust female nurses more just because they are portrayed as professional medical specialists. Most consumers reflect this negative cognition through purchase intentions of products. For example, in comparing portrayals of attractiveness with portrayals of professionalism, attractiveness results in a better advertising effect. People with intrinsic or extrinsic religious orientation have gradually lowered their negative impressions of women; however, religious followers still more strongly insist on women's secondary position. Attractive female nurses are more likely judged as reliable, and this may be transferred to trust in their professional medical skills.

Age, social support and health among older Kuwaitis

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report data on social support elements and health status differences across three age groups of Kuwaiti elderly.

Design/methodology/approach

– Examined for this study were 1,427 adults. Social support elements considered include total social support scale, frequency of contact (FOC) with relatives and friends, strength of these contacts, religiosity, number of children and number of children living with the elderly. This study evaluates health status in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glucose levels and self-reported somatic symptoms, satisfaction with current health and health over the last year.

Findings

– The data show that there are important social support elements in all of the age groups. Social support, FOC, strength of relationships, number of children living with the elderly and religiosity are shown to influence the health and well-being of elders. Social support elements are shown to be higher in the oldest age group.

Originality/value

– Elderly studies in Kuwait are rare. This is one of first studies done in Kuwait which show that there are differences in social support, FOC and strength of relation among all of the age groups.

Religious orientation and health among active older adults in the United States

This study utilizes a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic Religious Orientation Scales to explore the connection between religion and health in a sample of physically active, older adults. The revised Religious Orientation Scale and the RAND Short Form 36 (SF-36) were adopted to relate religious orientation (intrinsic, extrinsic, pro-religious, and non-religious) and self-rated mental and physical health status. Individuals of pro-religious orientation reported significantly worse health for physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, and energy or fatigue when compared with those of all other religious orientations; however, no dose-response relationships were found between religious orientation and self-rated health. The results of this study indicate that deleterious health effects may accompany pro-religious orientation. Caution is provided for directors of religious programs for older adults.

Beauty and healing: examining sociocultural expectations of the embodied goddess

Studies indicate mental health improvement can occur via religious communities offering social support and other resources. Many people from many cultures regard medicine as a supernatural or magical treatment that can somehow lead to a better state of living. In medical advertising, female role portrayal involves the blending of beauty, ritual and attractiveness in combination with the best product image. A Chinese saying suggests that, "A girl will doll herself up for him who loves her." Female role attraction is a very important ethical subject in gender issues. Moving forward in time, female role visualization and consumption in medical advertising reveal depictions that encouraged women to do some self-searching and find, or develop, inner strength. This study is designed to examine female role portrayals in a restricted patriarchal society. The results indicate that the ideology of motherhood is an accepted social orientation that the public readily identifies with. Results further indicate that beautification through medical products incorporates an emotional element of religious healing and that the objectification of beauty in the media reveals a possible neglect of women's internal beauty.

Relationships among spirituality, religious practices, personality factors, and health for five different faith traditions

To determine: (1) differences in spirituality, religiosity, personality, and health for different faith traditions; and (2) the relative degree to which demographic, spiritual, religious, and personality variables simultaneously predict health outcomes for different faith traditions. Cross-sectional analysis of 160 individuals from five different faith traditions including Buddhists (40), Catholics (41), Jews (22), Muslims (26), and Protestants (31). Brief multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality (BMMRS; Fetzer in Multidimensional measurement of religiousness/spirituality for use in health research, Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, 1999); NEO-five factor inventory (NEO-FFI; in Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO PI-R) and the NEO-five factor inventory (NEO-FFI) professional manual, Psychological Assessment Resources, Odessa, Costa and McCrae 1992); Medical outcomes scale-short form (SF-36; in SF-36 physical and mental health summary scores: A user's manual, The Health Institute, New England Medical Center, Boston, Ware et al. 1994). (1) ANOVAs indicated that there were no significant group differences in health status, but that there were group differences in spirituality and religiosity. (2) Pearson's correlations for the entire sample indicated that better mental health is significantly related to increased spirituality, increased positive personality traits (i.e., extraversion) and decreased personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and conscientiousness). In addition, spirituality is positively correlated with positive personality traits (i.e., extraversion) and negatively with negative personality traits (i.e., neuroticism). (3) Hierarchical regressions indicated that personality predicted a greater proportion of unique variance in health outcomes than spiritual variables. Different faith traditions have similar health status, but differ in terms of spiritual, religious, and personality factors. For all faith traditions, the presence of positive and absence of negative personality traits are primary predictors of positive health (and primarily mental health). Spiritual variables, other than forgiveness, add little to the prediction of unique variance in physical or mental health after considering personality. Spirituality can be conceptualized as a characterological aspect of personality or a distinct construct, but spiritual interventions should continue to be used in clinical practice and investigated in health research.

Geographic analysis of shigellosis in Vietnam

Geographic and ecological analysis may provide investigators useful ecological information for the control of shigellosis. This paper provides distribution of individual Shigella species in space, and ecological covariates for shigellosis in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Data on shigellosis in neighborhoods were used to identify ecological covariates. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to obtain joint posterior distribution of model parameters and to construct smoothed risk maps for shigellosis. Neighborhoods with a high proportion of worshippers of traditional religion, close proximity to hospital, or close proximity to the river had increased risk for shigellosis. The ecological covariates associated with Shigella flexneri differed from the covariates for Shigella sonnei. In contrast the spatial distribution of the two species was similar. The disease maps can help identify high-risk areas of shigellosis that can be targeted for interventions. This approach may be useful for the selection of populations and the analysis of vaccine trials.

Religion and disability: clinical, research and training considerations for rehabilitation professionals

PURPOSE

This article (i) reviews existing research on the relationships that exist among spirituality, religion, and health for persons with disabilities; and (ii) compares different theoretical coping models (i.e., spiritual vs. psychoneuroimmunological).

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade interest has increased in relationships among spirituality, religion, and health in both the mainstream media (e.g., Newsweek) and scientific literature (e.g., Koenig). In general, research has concluded that religion and spirituality are linked to positive physical and mental health outcomes. Most religion and health research has focused on populations with life-threatening diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disorders, AIDS) with minimal attention to persons with chronic, life-long disabling conditions such as brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke. However, religion is used by many individuals with disabilities to help them adjust to their impairments and to give new meaning to their lives.

CONCLUSIONS

Religion and spirituality are important coping strategies for persons with disabilities. Practical suggestions for rehabilitation professionals are provided regarding: (a) strategies to enhance religious coping; (b) methods to train rehabilitation professionals about religious issues; and (c) issues to consider regarding future research on rehabilitation and religion.

The Effects of Spirituality on Well-Being of People With Lung Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects of spirituality on the sense of well-being of people with lung cancer.

DESIGN

Descriptive, correlational study.

SETTING

Urban and rural oncology and radiation centers.

SAMPLE

60 adults ranging from 33-83 years of age. Most participants had non-small cell lung cancer and were female, Caucasian, and older than 50.

METHODS

Participants completed a questionnaire composed of six survey instruments: Life Attitude Profile-Revised, Adapted Prayer Scale, Index of Well-Being, Symptom Distress Scale, a background information sheet, and a cancer characteristics questionnaire. Correlations among study concepts were examined, and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the effects of spirituality.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Meaning in life, prayer activities and experiences, symptom distress, and psychological well-being.

FINDINGS

Higher meaning in life scores were associated with higher psychological well-being and lower symptom distress scores. Higher prayer scores were associated with higher psychological well-being scores. Regression analysis indicated that meaning in life mediated the relationship between functional status and physical responses to lung cancer and explained 9% of the variance in symptom distress. Prayer mediated the relationship between current physical health and psychological responses and explained 10% of the variance in psychological well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Aspects of spirituality, meaning in life, and prayer have positive effects on psychological and physical responses in this group of people with lung cancer.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

This research provides knowledge about spirituality and sense of well-being to guide the care of people with lung cancer.

Effects of Spirituality in Breast Cancer Survivors

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To examine the effects of spirituality (meaning in life and prayer) on a sense of well-being among women who have had breast cancer.

DESIGN

Descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional.

SETTING

Rural and urban communities in central Texas.

SAMPLE

Convenience sample of 84 women, 34-80 years of age diagnosed less than one year previously (36%), within the previous one to five years (38%), and more than five years previously (26%).

METHODS

The study approach consisted of completing a questionnaire assessing personal and cancer characteristics, aspects of spirituality (meaning in life and prayer), and physical and psychological responses to breast cancer.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Meaning in life, prayer, and physical and psychological responses to breast cancer.

FINDINGS

Meaning in life was positively related to psychological responses and negatively related to physical responses. Prayer was positively related to psychological well-being. Women with higher prayer scale scores reported lower education levels, less income to meet their needs, and closer relationships with God. Meaning in life mediated the impact of breast cancer on physical and psychological well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

Strong relationships exist among spirituality and personal and cancer characteristics. Meaning in life mediated the effects of breast cancer on well-being in breast cancer survivors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

The findings support healthcare providers encouraging women diagnosed with breast cancer to explore their spirituality as an effective resource for dealing with the physical and psychological responses to cancer.

Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality. Implications for physical and mental health research

Empirical studies have identified significant links between religion and spirituality and health. The reasons for these associations, however, are unclear. Typically, religion and spirituality have been measured by global indices (e.g., frequency of church attendance, self-rated religiousness and spirituality) that do not specify how or why religion and spirituality affect health. The authors highlight recent advances in the delineation of religion and spirituality concepts and measures theoretically and functionally connected to health. They also point to areas for areas for growth in religion and spirituality conceptualization and measurement. Through measures of religion and spirituality more conceptually related to physical and mental health (e.g., closeness to God, religious orientation and motivation, religious support, religious struggle), psychologists are discovering more about the distinctive contributions of religiousness and spirituality to health and well-being.

The doctor as God's mechanic? Beliefs in the Southeastern United States

Spiritual practice and beliefs related to healing are described using data from a telephone survey. Questions in the survey address the practice of prayer and spiritual beliefs related to healing. Questions explore belief in miracles, that God acts through religious healers, the importance of God's will in healing, and that God acts through physicians. Questions also ask whether people discuss spiritual concerns with their physician and whether they would want to if seriously ill. We create a composite index to compare religious faith in healing across race, gender, education, income denomination, and health status. Logistic regression predicts types of patients who believe God acts through physicians and those inclined to discuss spiritual concerns when ill. The most important findings are that: 80% of respondents believe God acts through physicians to cure illness, 40% believe God's will is the most important factor in recovery, and spiritual faith in healing is stronger among women. African-Americans, Evangelical Protestants, the poorer, sicker, and less educated. Those who believe that God acts through physicians are more likely to be African-American than White (OR = 1.9) and 55 or older (OR = 3.5). Those who discuss spiritual concerns with a physician are more likely to be female (OR = 1.9) and in poor health (OR = 2.1). Although 69% say they would want to speak to someone about spiritual concerns if seriously ill, only 3% would choose to speak to a physician. We conclude that religious faith in healing is prevalent and strong in the southern United States and that most people believe that God acts through doctors. Knowledge of the phenomena and variation across the population can guide inquiry into the spiritual concerns of patients.

Religious activity improves life satisfaction for some physicians and older patients

OBJECTIVE

To assess religious perceptions and activities of physicians and older patients and to determine whether religious activities are associated with life satisfaction.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A cross-sectional survey of practicing Virginia internists and psychiatrists and hospitalized or institutionalized (nursing home) older adults.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred randomly sampled practicing physicians and 55 hospitalized or institutionalized older patients.

METHODS

A mailed survey was used for the physicians and a structured interview for the patients. All subjects provided information pertaining to demographics and life satisfaction using the Life Satisfaction Index (LSI-B). For physicians or patients who engaged in any religious activity, the Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religiosity (I/E-R) scale was used.

RESULTS

Of the 100 physicians (49 internists and 51 psychiatrists) who answered the survey (50% response rate), 75% used religious activity as a coping resource (39% somewhat, 36% definitely). There was a positive correlation between intrinsic religious activity (e.g., prayer, Bible reading) and life satisfaction (r = .293, P = .042). Of the 55 patients interviewed, 47 (86%) used religion as a coping resource, and intrinsic religious activity was positively associated with life satisfaction (r = .843, P < .001). Even after controlling for age, gender, health, and marital status, intrinsic religious activity remained a predictor of higher life satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

Intrinsic religious activity is associated positively with life satisfaction in physicians and ill older adults.

Critical analysis of spirituality and its empirical indicators. Prayer and meaning in life

Spirituality for holistic nursing is defined after a critical analysis of the literature. Spirituality is defined as the experiences and expressions of one's spirit in a unique and dynamic process reflecting faith in God or a supreme being; a connectedness with oneself, others, nature or God; and an integration of all human dimensions. Prayer and meaning in life are described as empirical indicators for appraising spirituality. Prayer is an indicator of the defining attribute of connectedness with God, and meaning in life is an outcome of spirituality.

Prayer in the medical encounter

A large percentage of the population report that they believe in God and pray regularly. Recent reviews suggest that prayer and religious commitment are positively associated with mental and physical health. These data, taken together, strongly imply that the health professional must find a way to recognize and work with patients' religious practices. There is already a reasonable amount of literature detailing the beliefs and desires of both patients and professionals in commencing upon this work. This paper provides a comprehensive review of that literature and concludes with a discussion of implications and future directions.

Health and the black church

The purpose of this review is to provide the reader with a religiously based examination of the literature that may suggest a relationship between Black people and their health behavior. Comparisons are made that suggest a relationship between increases in church attendance and a decrease in blood pressure, stress, coronary health disease, and promiscuity. This review is broken down into four areas: 1) Historical and philosophical; 2) church attendance; 3) the church as a depositor of health information, and 4) scriptural influence and related literature. Scriptural references are provided that support the dialogue over health behavior and the church. There are numerous health references within all 66 books of the Bible. The Black church, as with so many other race classifications, supports the notion of presenting itself as a depositor of health information. However, the literature does suggest some resistance to the actual receiving of health care. This review of the literature emphasizes using Scripture as a basis for giving health information to church attendees. Resistance to health care among certain ethnic minorities may be lessened with the use of the church, and of health-related Scripture. This review suggests possibilities for further research and provides a scriptural road map for the dissemination of different health topics using Bible as a source.

Religion and adult mental health: state of the science in nursing

As a part of human spirituality, religion has been theorized to influence the health of the individual, both positively and negatively. Although the nursing literature has focused recently on broad aspects of spirituality, the specifics of religious influences on health have been examined cursorily or have been ignored. This article reviews the major empirical data on religion and mental health that are pertinent to nursing. Three areas covered are mental health impact, coping, and aging. Suggestions for future research on the subject are presented.

Religiosity and Attitudes toward Suicide

The relationship between religiosity and attitudes toward suicide was assessed in a sample of 186 Christian adults, most affiliated with churches or church-related organizations. A significant correlational pattern was obtained, such that persons higher on religiosity tended to perceive suicide as reflective of mental illness, as less of a cry for help, as not being an individual's prerogative, as highly related to a lack of religious influence, as “abnormal” behavior, as evidence of the aggressiveness of human nature, and as a moral evil not to be condoned.

The effect of prayer on physical health: Experimental evidence

There has been enough published scientific work on the direct effects of prayer upon physical health in the past thirty years to merit review. While experimental evidence has yet to reveal large direct effects of prayer on physical health, the effects which have been found are notable and encourage further study. In this article the authors review the major studies, discuss problems in their interpretation, and suggest considerations for future experimental study of prayer.

Religion as a support component in the health behavior of Black Americans

The use of religion as a support component in an effort to change the health behavior of Black Americans is historical and pervasive. The Black church's role as a social agent in the Black community has been a stabilizing factor in its overall health status. Political and social barriers that have deprived Black people of proper health care have been overcome through religious intervention. This intervention has been offered in the hope that proper health behavior would prevail. This article addresses the role of the Black church as an institution that uses different components of social support for the people in its surrounding community. Historical, theoretical, and health behavior are addressed in an effort to provide an explanation for the need to understand the marriage between social support and the Black church. In addition, related literature that provides support for the arguments of this article is also addressed.

Relationship of religiosity to wellness and other health-related behaviors and outcomes

The relationship of religiosity to health-enhancing attitudes and behaviors (wellness), health-compromising behaviors, and adverse health-related outcomes was examined in a sample of 1,077 college students from a large, comprehensive mid-western university. In general, religiosity was positively correlated with wellness and inversely correlated with health-compromising behaviors and illnesses. Interpretation of the findings was complicated in some instances by significant interactions between study variables.