Citation

Milstein G, Palitsky R, Cuevas A. J. Prev. Interv. Community 2020; 48(1): 1-6.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10852352.2019.1617519

PMID

31402789

Abstract

Religion is a source of beliefs and practices, which can in turn influence health behaviors. Therefore, religious communities represent potential public health partners to improve well-being across economic and ethnic diversity. This issue of the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community presents six empirical studies with a breadth of methodologies, and a range of subjects. The associations of religion with cancer fatalism, prenatal substance abuse, bereavement, suicide prevention, clergy mental health and attitudes toward the Affordable Care Act are reported here. These research findings support the key importance of community. Like community, religion is complex. This issue's studies demonstrate the need to include ethnicity in analyses as well as the necessity to measure both religious belief and practice. Consistently, religious community participation predicted more positive outcomes than one's level of belief.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Religion and Medicine; United States; Health Promotion; suicide prevention; bereavement; Religion; Chronic Disease; Primary Prevention; ethnicity; Mental Disorders; clergy; Community Health Services; religious practice; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Affordable care act; cancer fatalism; prenatal substance abuse