"It's medically proven!": Assessing the dissemination of religion and health research

Religiously/Spiritually Involved, but in Doubt or Disbelief-Why? Healthy?

The question of why atheists and agnostic theists attend religious services and pray (and what that might mean for their health) is examined through (1) a thematic analysis of commentaries, perspective pieces, and news articles from the popular literature, and (2) a critical review of scholarly research involving comparisons between religious and nonreligious individuals on a variety of health-related outcomes. Findings suggest that atheists and agnostic theists can take pleasure in attending religious services, and they may be driven to pray at times. In many cases, this was explained by their efforts to stay connected and avoid or manage conflict with family members. Despite a pattern of friction between nonbelievers and believers across the dataset, they predominantly agreed on the whys and wherefores of religious service attendance and the prospect that congregants could "bridge the worlds of belief and nonbelief." The themes identified are intended to inform the development of qualitative interview protocols and survey instruments. Although health was not among the most salient themes in the narratives analyzed here, many of the reasons cited for religious service attendance and prayer can be tied to existing literature that has relevance for health. Atheists who experience dissonance between their self-perception and nonbelief in God-and agnostic theists who are prone to existential uncertainty and have only moderate faith-might experience poorer health outcomes. Recommendations focus on the need to (a) supplement secondary analyses of archival survey data with qualitative descriptions of belief systems within groups, and (b) move away from the adversarial stance taken by some of the authors of recently published studies on atheism, nonreligion, and health.

Intersection of identities: food, role, and the African-American pastor

African-American pastors can foster health-related innovations as gatekeepers and advocates within their churches. Personal experiences with food and health likely influence their support of such programs. Identities or meanings attached to societal roles have been shown to motivate individuals' attitudes and behaviors. Understanding role and eating identities of African-American pastors may have important implications for participation in faith-based health promotion programs. This study aimed to describe the eating and pastoral identities of African-American pastors, explore intersections between these identities, and highlight implications for nutrition programs. In-depth interviews with 30 African-American pastors were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using theory-guided and grounded-theory approaches. Pastors described affinity across one or more dimensions including healthy, picky, meat, and over-eater identities. In describing themselves as pastors, the dimensions pastor's heart, teacher, motivator, and role model emerged. Pastors who described themselves as healthy eaters were more likely to see themselves as role models. Pastors with healthier eating identities and more complex pastoral identities described greater support for health programming while unhealthy, picky, and over-eaters did not. These findings provide guidance for understanding eating and role identities among pastors and should be considered when designing and implementing faith-based programs.