Religious attendance and continuity of care.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between religious attendance and continuity of care.


METHODS
We investigated this relationship in a large national database--the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III--which contains information on religious attendance, continuity of care, and potential confounders that might mediate the relationship such as health status and socioeconomic status.


RESULTS
A total of 18,162 participants 17 years of age or older were included in the analysis. People who attended religious services were more likely to have continuity with a provider than people who did not attend such services (65% vs. 35%, p < .001). This association persisted after controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and health status variables using regression analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
This study documents a significant association between attendance at religious services and continuity with a usual provider. Continuity with a regular medical provider may influence the association of religious attendance and health outcomes.
King
Dana E
DE
Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA. kingde@musc.edu
Pearson
William S
WS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009309:National Center for Health Statistics, U.S.; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012067:Religion; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States