Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

CiteULike is a free service for managing and discovering scholarly references - click here to get started.

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Health Education & Behavior
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
1090198107303314v1
36/1/62    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Holt, C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Wynn, T. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Holt, C. L.
Right arrow Articles by Wynn, T. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Perceptions of the Religion—Health Connection Among African Americans in the Southeastern United States: Sex, Age, and Urban/Rural Differences

Cheryl L. Holt, PhD

School of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, cholt{at}uab.edu

Emily Schulz, PhD, OTR/L, CFLE

School of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Theresa A. Wynn, PhD

School of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Extensive literature reviews suggest that religiousness is positively associated with health. Much less understood is the particular nature of the religion—health connection. Religion and the church play a central role in the lives of many African Americans. This study used a mixed-methods approach to examine perceptions of the religion—health connection among African Americans in urban and rural areas. Four hundred participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone, answering open-ended questions about their perceptions of the role of religiousness in their health. Data were analyzed using an open-coding technique. Codes were arranged into families involving the role of a higher power, health behavior, physical factors, social support, mental health, and contextual factors in determining physical health, as well as the potential negative role of religiousness. Quantitative analysis revealed the stronger presence of themes among women, older participants, and those in rural counties. Applications for theory and health promotion are discussed.

Key Words: religion • African American • qualitative

This version was published on February 1, 2009

Health Education & Behavior, Vol. 36, No. 1, 62-80 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1090198107303314
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?