Religion, spirituality, and healthcare choices of African-American women: results of a national survey.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes the prevalence and patterns of use of religion and spirituality for health reasons among African-American women.


METHODS
Respondents were asked about their use of religion/spirituality for health reasons as part of a larger study of the prevalence and correlates of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among women. In 2001, a national survey of 3,172 women, aged 18 and older, was conducted in 4 languages, with over-sampling among African-, Mexican-, and Chinese-American participants. This paper focuses on the sub-sample of 812 African-American women.


RESULTS
Overall, 43% of the African-American women reported using religion/spirituality for health reasons in the past year. Factors significantly associated with the use of religion/spirituality for health reasons included having an income of dollar 40,000-dollar 60,000, an education level of college graduate or more, or being 37-56 years of age; worse health status approached significance. African-American women utilized religion and spirituality most often for serious conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and depression. African-American women who had used religion/spirituality in the past year for health reasons were more than twice as likely to have used some form of CAM, and also more likely to have seen a medical doctor during the year prior to the interview, compared to their counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
Religion and spirituality are associated with health-seeking behaviors of African-American women. The use of religion and spirituality for health reasons warrants additional research, particularly its use for chronic and serious conditions, and its role in the health-seeking behavior of African-American women in conjunction with the utilization of conventional medicine and CAM.
Dessio
Whitney
W
Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, State University of New York, USA.
Wade
Christine
C
Chao
Maria
M
Kronenberg
Fredi
F
Cushman
Linda E
LE
Kalmuss
Debra
D
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*