Influence of Physicians' Beliefs on Propensity to Include Religion/Spirituality in Patient Interactions.

This study examines physicians' beliefs, their perceptions of whether religion impacts health outcomes, and their propensity to discuss religion/spirituality with patients. It is not uncommon for patients to want religious/spiritual conversations, but the occurrence is infrequent. This study adds to knowledge regarding which physicians include these topics. Using a nationally representative sample of physicians and a mediated bi-factor structural equation model, the author finds that "religious and spiritual" physicians connect religion and patient health more than other religious/spiritual orientations. As a result, "religious and spiritual" physicians include religion/spirituality most often (indirect path). After this variation is accounted for, "spiritual but not religious" physicians still include this content, but the "religious but not spiritual" and "neither religious nor spiritual" physicians tend to avoid talking about religiosity/spirituality with patients.

Neighborhood perception and self-rated health among Mexican American older adults.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between neighborhood perception and poor self-rated health among older Mexican Americans, adjusting for important background characteristics, such as neighborhood ethnic composition and other health conditions. METHODS: Drawing on the 2004-2005 Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly data (n = 1780), the present study used logistic regression to examine the effects of neighborhood perception on poor self-rated health of older Mexican Americans. RESULTS: The results show that participants with a greater positive perception of their neighborhood were less likely to report poor self-rated health, controlling for both socioeconomic status and health status covariates. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that positive neighborhood perception serves as an important protective factor in overall health. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2559-2564.

Physicians in the USA: Attendance, Beliefs and Patient Interactions.

While much religion-health research depends on social support explanations, little is known about whether religious support is also a part of clinical interactions. How many physicians include religious/spiritual topics in clinical conversations? What characteristics are related to inclusion or avoidance? Using a national sample (n = 1,144), this study provides an overview of religious beliefs and practices of physicians in the USA and their patient interactions. Physician attendance rates are related to the inclusion of religious/spiritual topics, but the religious/spiritual orientation of physicians more closely relates to religious/spiritual patient interactions. Further, some physician specialties have more religious/spiritual physicians than others, providing additional reason to think religious/spiritual patient conversations are not equally distributed throughout the medical landscape.