|
Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
|
Complementary Health Practice Review, Vol. 10, No. 3,
175-188 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/1533210105285445
© 2005 SAGE Publications
Prayer for Health Among U.S. Adults: The 2002 National Health Interview Survey
Ronny A. Bell, PhD, MS
Department of Public Health Sciences, Section on Epidemiology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063; rbell{at}wfubmc.edu
Cynthia Suerken, MS
Sara A. Quandt, PhD
Section on Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Joseph G. Grzywacz, PhD
Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Wei Lang, PhD
Section on Biostatistics, Department of Public Health Sciences, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Thomas A. Arcury, PhD
Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Data for the United States is limited on prayer for health, including associations with other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities. The 2002 National Health Interview Survey and Alternative Health Supplement data were examined for associations between prayer for health and demographic, health, and CAM use characteristics. Forty-five percent of adults reported some form of prayer for health. Use of prayer for health was associated with increasing age, ethnic minority status, lower socioeconomic status, southern/midwestern U.S. region, poorer health, and use of most forms of CAM. These data provide information about prayer for health in the United States. Further research could examine associations between prayer for health and healthrelated decisions, behaviors, and outcomes.
Key Words: prayer • complementary and alternative medicine • ethnic minorities • health behavior • National Health Interview Survey
References
- Ang, D. C., Ibrahim, S. A., Burant, C. J., Siminoff, L. A., & Kwoh, C. K. (2002). Ethnic differences in the perception of prayer and consideration of joint arthroplasty. Medical Care, 40, 471-476.[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Astin, J. A. (1998). Why patients use alternative medicine: Results of a national study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 279, 1548-1553.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Atchley, R. C. (2005). On including religious and spiritual faith and practice in gerontological research. Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 60B, S2-S2.
- Barnes, P. M., Powell-Griner, E., McFann, K., & Nahin, R. L. (2004). Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002. Advance Data, 343, 1-20.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Benjamins, M. R. (2004). Religion and functional health among the elderly: Is there a relationship and is it constant? Journal of Aging and Health, 16, 355-374.[Abstract]
- Benjamins, M. R., & Brown, C. (2004). Religion and preventative health care utilization among the elderly. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 109-118.
- Byrd, R. C. (1988). Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care unit population. Southern Medical Journal, 81, 826-829.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Eisenberg, D. M., Davis, R. B., Ettner, S. L., Scott, A., Wilkey, S., van Rompay, M., et al. (1998). Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. Journal of the American Medical Association, 280, 1569-1575.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Fox, S. A., Pitkin, K., Paul, C., Carson, S.,& Duan, N. (1998). Breast cancer screening adherence: Does church attendance matter? Health Education and Behavior, 25, 742-758.[Abstract]
- Gesler, W., Arcury, T. A., & Koenig, H. G. (2000). An introduction to three studies of rural elderly people: Effects of religion and culture on health. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 15, 1-12.[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Harris, W. S., Gowda, M., Kolb, J. W., Strychacz, C. P., Vacek, J. L., Jones, P. G., et al (1999). A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit. Archives of Internal Medicine, 159, 2273-2278.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Hess, B., & Markson, E. (1980). Aging and old age. New York: Macmillan.
- Kessler, R. C., Davis, R. B., Foster, D. F., Van Rompay, M. I., Waters, E. E., Wilkey, S. A., et al (2001). Long-term trends in the use of complementary and alternative medical therapies in the United States. Annals of Internal Medicine, 135, 262-268.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Koenig, H. G., George, L. K., Titus, P., & Meador, K. G. (2004). Religion, spirituality, and acute care hospitalization and long-term care use by older patients. Archives of Internal Medicine, 164, 1579-1585.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Krause, N. (2004). Religion, aging and health: Exploring new frontiers in medical care. Southern Medical Journal, 97, 1215-1222.[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Leibovici, L. (2001). Effects of remote, retroactive intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 323, 1450-1451.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Levin, J. S., Chatters, M., & Taylor, R. J. (1995). Religious effects on health status and life satisfaction among Black Americans. Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 50, S154-S163.
- Levin, J. S., & Taylor, R. J. (1993). Gender and age differences in religiosity among Black Americans. The Gerontologist, 33, 16-23.[Abstract]
- Levin, J. S., & Taylor, R. J. (1997). Age differences in the patterns and correlates of prayer. The Gerontologist, 37, 75-88.[Abstract]
- Levin, J. S., Taylor, R. J.,& Chatters, L. M. (1994). Race and gender differences among older adults: Findings from four national surveys. Journal of Gerontology, 49, S137-S145.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Matthews, D. A., Marlowe, S. M.,& MacNutt, F. S. (2000). Effects of intercessory prayer on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Southern Medical Journal, 93, 1177-1186.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- McCaffrey, A. M., Eisenberg, D. M., Legedza, A. T. R., Davis, R. B., & Phillips, R. S. (2004). Prayer for health concerns. Archives of Internal Medicine, 164, 858-862.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Mitchell, J., & Weatherly, D. (2000). Beyond church attendance: Religiosity and mental health among rural older adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 15, 37-54.[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (2005, December 2). What is complementary and alternative medicine? Retrieved December 22, 2005, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/
- O'Connor, P. J., Nicolaas, N. P., Tan, A.,& Whitebird, R. R. (2005). Characteristics of adults who use prayer as an alternative therapy. American Journal of Health Promotion, 19, 369-375.[Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Parker, M., Lee Roff, L., Klemmack, D. L., Koenig, H. G., Baker, P., & Allman, R. M. (2003). Religiosity and mental health in southern, community dwelling older adults. Aging and Mental Health, 7, 390-397.
- Palmer, R. F., Katerndahl, D.,& Morgan-Kidd, J. (2004). A randomized trial of the effects of remote intercessory prayer: Interactions with personal beliefs on problem-specific outcomes and functional status. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10, 438-448.[CrossRef][Medline]
[Order article via Infotrieve]
- Schenker, N., Raghunathan, T. E., Chiu, P., Makuc, D. M., Zhang, G.,& Cohen, A. J. (2005). Multiple imputation of family income and personal earnings in the National Health Interview Survey: Methods and examples. Retrieved May 10, 2005, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhis/tecdoc1.pdf
- Sicher, F., Targ, E., Moore, D., II, & Smith, H. S. (1998). A randomized double-blind study of the effect of distant healing in a population with advanced AIDS. Report of a smallscale study. Western Journal of Medicine, 169, 356-363.
- Wulff, D. M. (1997). Psychology of religion, classic and contemporary. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley.
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
K. Hank and B. Schaan
Cross-National Variations in the Correlation Between Frequency of Prayer and Health Among Older Europeans
Research on Aging,
January 1, 2008;
30(1):
36 - 54.
[Abstract]
[PDF]
|
|
|
|
