The Relationship Between Religiosity and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Pregnant Women.
Natalie A Cyphers, Andrea D Clements, Glenda Lindseth
PMID 27885154WHAT IT FOUND
Pregnant women who felt satisfied with their surrender to God reported more health-promoting behaviors.
Attending classes at faith-based centers also correlated with better health habits, though this link weakened once religious satisfaction was accounted for in the model.
Key findings
01Satisfaction with surrender to God, but not satisfaction with religious attendance, was significantly associated with higher scores for health-promoting behaviors.
02Attending classes at the Pregnancy Resource Centers was initially a significant predictor of health-promoting behaviors, explaining 10% of the variance alongside Hispanic ethnicity.
03In the final model, religiosity variables (specifically non-organized religiosity and satisfaction with surrender to God) accounted for an additional 11% of the variance in health-promoting behaviors, making the total explained variance 21%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study used a convenience sample from faith-based centers, limiting generalizability to the broader pregnant population. Data was self-reported, which introduces potential bias. The sample was homogeneous, with 83% White participants and 74% having household incomes under US$15,000. Recruitment relied on volunteers who sometimes forgot to invite eligible women or waited for a better moment, potentially introducing selection bias. The response rate was calculated as 23% based on estimated total visitors, but the actual rate of eligible women approached is unknown due to lack of documentation.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that attending classes at a Pregnancy Resource Center causes better health behaviors. In the final statistical model, the association between class attendance and health-promoting behaviors disappeared once religious satisfaction variables were included, suggesting the relationship is complex and potentially mediated by other factors.