The Effect of Religious Concentration and Affiliation on County Cancer Mortality Rates

Dwyer, Jeffrey W.; Clarke, Leslie L.; Miller, M.K.

doi:10.2307/2137172

Cited by 89 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…This literature encompasses studies ? 340 CHATTERS of cancer, hypertension, stroke, other cardiovascular conditions, gastrointestinal diseases, overall and cause-specific mortality, indicators of physical disability, selfratings of health status, and reports of symptomatology (13,25,27,31,42,58,62,65,67,76,81,83,93,94,98,100,117,134,137,144,163,185), encompassing numerous disease entities or types of rates (110). Several investigations indicate that religious involvement is associated with better outcomes for persons who are recovering from physical and mental illness (145,156,157).…”

Section: Physical Health Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and Health: Public Health Research and Practice

Chatters

2000

Annu. Rev. Public Health

437

321

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Key Words religious involvement, spiritualitys Abstract Research examining the relationships between religion and the health of individuals and populations has become increasingly visible in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Systematic programs of research investigate religious phenomena within the context of coherent theoretical and conceptual frameworks that describe the causes and consequences of religious involvement for health outcomes. Recent research has validated the multidimensional aspects of religious involvement and investigated how religious factors operate through various biobehavioral and psychosocial constructs to affect health status through proposed mechanisms that link religion and health. Methodological and analytical advances in the field permit the development of more complex models of religion's effects, in keeping with proposed theoretical explanations. Investigations of religion and health have ethical and practical implications that should be addressed by the lay public, health professionals, the research community, and the clergy. Future research directions point to promising new areas of investigation that could bridge the constructs of religion and health.

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Section: Physical Health Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and Health: Public Health Research and Practice

Chatters

2000

Annu. Rev. Public Health

437

321

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“…Why might community-level religiosity be expected to influence the infant mortality rates observed across U.S. counties? Perhaps most notably, the respective market shares of various faith traditions have been shown to influence adult mortality and morbidity patterns across the U.S. [7,8]. Moreover, religious institutions often act as advocates for the well-being of families and children [9,10], such that family ministry programs play a central role in the work of many congregations [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and Infant Mortality in the U.S.: A Preliminary Study of Denominational Variations

Bartkowski

Garcia

2011

Religions

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Abstract:Prior research has identified a number of antecedents to infant mortality, but has been focused on either structural (demographic) forces or medical (public health) factors, both of which ignore potential cultural influences. Our study introduces a cultural model for explaining variations in infant mortality, one focused on the role of community-level religious factors. A key impetus for our study is well-established religious variations in adult mortality at the community level. Seeking to extend the growing body of research on contextual-level effects of religion, this study examines the impact of religious ecology (i.e., the institutional market share of particular denominational traditions) on county-level infant mortality in the U.S. Analyses of congregational census and Kids Count data reveal that a high prevalence of Catholic and most types of conservative Protestant churches are associated with lower rates of infant mortality when compared with counties that feature fewer Catholic and conservative Protestant congregations. However, communities with a large proportion of Pentecostal churches exhibit significantly higher infant mortality rates. After discussing the implications of these findings, we specify various directions for future research.

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“…Initial studies, most of which have focused on patients with advanced disease, suggest that cancer patients with stronger religious ties have more favorable psychosocial adjustment and health-related quality of life (e.g., less pain, anxiety, fear of death) than those who are less religious [22,24,47,50]. Epidemiological and clinical research has also suggested links between religious involvement and better health behaviors (e.g., exercise, nutrition [27,33]), less use of medical services [12], and lower rates of morbidity or mortality from cancer [14] and other chronic diseases [10,[28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multidimensional measure of religious involvement for cancer patients: the Duke Religious Index

Sherman

Plante

Simonton

et al. 2000

Supportive Care in Cancer

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Despite increasing interest in the relationship between religious involvement and health outcomes for cancer patients, research has been limited by the lack of appropriate measures. Few of the many instruments available are well suited to cancer patients. The current study examined the psychometric properties of one recently developed measure, the Duke Religious Index (DRI), which assesses several aspects of religious involvement. The DRI was evaluated in two distinct samples: 104 cancer patients receiving treatment at a bone marrow transplantation program and 175 gynecology clinic patients. The instrument demonstrated good internal consistency (coefficient alphas 0.87-0.94). Moderate to high correlations with other measures of religiosity provided support for convergent validity. Modest relationships with other measures commonly used in psychosocial oncology (e.g., optimism, social support, purpose in life) indicated that the instrument provides unique information (all rs's < 0. 42). Small relationships with social desirability response bias, negative affect, and relationship cohesion further supported the divergent validity of the instrument (all rs's < 0.22). The DRI was significantly associated with demographic characteristics but not with medical variables. Findings support the value of the DRI for use in oncology settings.

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The Effect of Religious Concentration and Affiliation on County Cancer Mortality Rates

Cited by 89 publications

References 42 publications

Religion and Health: Public Health Research and Practice

Religion and Health: Public Health Research and Practice

Religion and Infant Mortality in the U.S.: A Preliminary Study of Denominational Variations

A multidimensional measure of religious involvement for cancer patients: the Duke Religious Index

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