Religiosity and self-rated health among older adults in Colombia / Religiosidad y el auto-reporte de salud entre adultos mayores en Colombia

Abstract Objective: To identify the relationship between religiosity and self-rated health among older adults in Colombia. Methods: Data are drawn from the SABE (Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento) Colombia Study, a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2015 involving 18,871 community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older living in urban and rural areas of Colombia. Religiosity was assessed by self-rated religiosity (how religious are you: not at all, somewhat or very). Self-rated health during previous 30 days was assessed as very good, good, fair, poor or very poor, analyzed as an ordinal variable (1-5) using weighted logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. Results: Those who were more religious were older, female, had lower socioeconomic status, and were more likely to be married. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that older adults who were more religious had better self-rated health (OR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.86-0.99, p= 0.038); however, there was a significant interaction effect between gender and religiosity on self-rated health (p= 0.002), such that the relationship between religiosity and health was stronger in men (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.79-0.94, p= 0.001) but not significant in women. Conclusion: Older adults in Colombia who consider themselves more religious, especially men, are less likely to perceive their physical health as poor compared to those who are less religious.

Resumen Objetivo: Identificar la relación entre religiosidad y el auto reporte de salud entre adultos mayores en Colombia. Métodos: Los datos provienen del estudio SABE (Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento) Colombia, una encuesta transversal realizada en 2015 en la que participaron 18,871 adultos de 60 años o más que viven en la comunidad y provienen de zonas urbanas y rurales en Colombia. La religiosidad fue autoevaluada (qué tan religiosa eres: nada, algo o muy). La autoevaluación de la salud durante los 30 días previos se evaluó como muy buena, buena, regular, mala o muy mala, analizada como variable ordinal (1-5) usando la regresión logística ponderada, ajustando por factores de confusión. Resultados: La edad avanzada, el sexo femenino, estar casado, y tener bajo nivel socioeconómico se asociaron con ser más religiosos. Los análisis multivariados demostraron que ser más religioso se asociaba con mejor salud autoevaluada (OR= 0.92; IC 95%= 0.86-0.99; p= 0.038). Sin embargo hubo una interacción significativa entre género y religiosidad sobre la salud autoevaluada (p= 0.002), tal que la relación entre religiosidad y salud fue mas fuerte en los hombres (OR= 0.86; IC 95%= 0.79-0.94; p= 0.001), pero no fue significativa en mujeres. Conclusión: Los adultos mayores en Colombia que se consideran a sí mismos más religiosos, especialmente los hombres, tienen menos probabilidades de percibir su salud como pobre en comparación con aquellos que son menos religiosos.

Religiosity, depression, and quality of life in bipolar disorder: a two-year prospective study

Objective: Few quantitative studies have examined the effect of religious involvement on the course of bipolar disorder (BD). We investigated the effects of religious activity and coping behaviors on the course of depression, mania, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with BD. Methods: Two-year longitudinal study of 168 outpatients with BD. Linear regression was used to examine associations between religious predictors and outcome variables (manic symptoms, depression, QoL), controlling for sociodemographic variables. Results: Among the 158 patients reassessed after 2 years, positive religious coping at T1 predicted better QoL across all four domains: physical (β = 10.2, 95%CI 4.2 to 16.1), mental (β = 13.4, 95%CI 7.1 to 19.7), social (β = 10.5, 95%CI 3.6 to 17.33), and environmental (β = 11.1, 95%CI 6.2 to 16.1) at T2. Negative religious coping at T1 predicted worse mental (β = -28.1, 95%CI -52.06 to -4.2) and environmental (β = -20.4, 95%CI -39.3 to -1.6) QoL. Intrinsic religiosity at T1 predicted better environmental QoL (β = 9.56, 95%CI 2.76 to 16.36) at T2. Negative religious coping at T1 predicted manic symptoms (β = 4.1) at T2. Conclusion: Religiosity/spirituality (R/S) may influence the QoL of patients with BD over time, even among euthymic patients. Targeting R/S (especially positive and negative religious coping) in psychosocial interventions may enhance the quality of recovery in patients with BD.

Electronic Health Records, Electronic Prescribing and Medication Errors: A Systematic Review of Literature, 2000-2014.

Background: The electronic prescribing system, either standalone or embedded in the electronic health record, is a powerful tool in the hands of healthcare providers, as it reduces half of medication errors caused by handwritten prescribing. Objective: This article synthesizes the international literature on electronic health records (EHRs), e-prescribing (EP) and medication errors (MEs) and provides a platform to World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO-EMR) countries for implementing EHRs and EP in healthcare system. Methods: Computer searches of PubMed, MEDLINE, Quertle®, Google Scholar, Web Knowledge and International Pharmacy Abstract databases were conducted for the years 2000–2014 using several single- and combined-keyword strategies, with 184 articles retained for evaluation. Results: Although e-prescribing integrated with EHR reduces medication errors at all healthcare levels, decreases morbidity and mortality, enhances patient and healthcare provider satisfaction by reducing costs and improving quality of life, it produces different types of medication errors at various stages of the prescription process. An EHR with EP that has a clinical decision support system (CDSS), dose-limit range, drug–drug interaction alert protocols, and formulary decision support helps to improve EP and ensures greater patient safety and other multiple applications. Conclusion: EHRs with EP systems should be implemented in healthcare systems for the sake of better quality healthcare and patient safety throughout the WHO-EMR countries especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Evidently there is limited data in these countries and hence further studies are needed to assess impact of EHRs and EP system (EPSs) on medication errors, quality of healthcare, patient safety and outcome, morbidity and mortality rates, patients’ and healthcare providers’ acceptance, and especially its cost-effectiveness.

Handwritten to Electronic Prescriptions: Emerging Views and Practices, Saudi Arabia.

Background: There has been little research on electronic prescribing (EP) in Middle Eastern countries. This is in part due to the slow implementation of electronic health records [EHR] integrated with EP. Electronic prescribing is associated with a considerable reduction in medication errors compared to handwritten prescriptions. Objective: This paper reviews the relevant literature on handwritten and EP in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as focusing on global issues including problems related to handwritten prescribing, the role of EP in mitigating these problems, the functions of the EHR system with EP, ways of implementing EP, and identifying potential barriers and challenges in the Middle Eastern region. Search Strategy: Computer searches of PubMed and Google Scholar were conducted using the keywords “handwritten prescription,” “pen and pencil prescription,” “medication prescribing,” “medication errors,” “electronic prescribing,” and “electronic medical records.” Review Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 4(28): 4607-4626, 2014 4608 These keywords were combined with ‘mechanisms’, ‘standards’, ‘advantages’, ‘disadvantages’, ‘challenges’, ‘plan’, and ‘opportunities’ with the objective of comprehensively retrieving the peer-reviewed articles published in English language journals on this subject. A total of 101 studies were included in this work. Methods: Two of the authors of this work retrieved and reviewed 101 papers that met our inclusion criteria. Any disagreements were resolved by a consensus of all three authors. Results: There were more articles on handwritten prescriptions that involved illegible writing that resulted in medication errors than articles on EP due to a lack of research and slow implementation of EHR system in the Middle East. At global level, e-prescribing that was supported by well-defined standards and careful implementation was associated with a reduction in serious medication errors, morbidity, mortality, and service cost, as well as an increase in work flow efficiency, a higher quality of healthcare service delivery, and greater satisfaction of both healthcare providers and consumers. Electronic prescribing is now being practiced in many major medical centers and specialist hospitals not only in KSA but also in other countries of the region. However, there remains a need to implement EP systems in hospitals, primary care outpatient settings, and throughout the private health sector where it is missing. Conclusion: It is time for the widespread adoption of EP, EHR, and health informatics systems across Middle Eastern countries including KSA, as well as for systematic research to evaluate their effectiveness.

Clinical implications of spirituality to mental health: review of evidence and practical guidelines

Objective: Despite empirical evidence of a relationship between religiosity/spirituality (R/S) and mental health and recommendations by professional associations that these research findings be integrated into clinical practice, application of this knowledge in the clinic remains a challenge. This paper reviews the current state of the evidence and provides evidence-based guidelines for spiritual assessment and for integration of R/S into mental health treatment. Methods: PubMed searches of relevant terms yielded 1,109 papers. We selected empirical studies and reviews that addressed assessment of R/S in clinical practice. Results: The most widely acknowledged and agreed-upon application of R/S to clinical practice is the need to take a spiritual history (SH), which may improve patient compliance, satisfaction with care, and health outcomes. We found 25 instruments for SH collection, several of which were validated and of good clinical utility. Conclusions: This paper provides practical guidelines for spiritual assessment and integration thereof into mental health treatment, as well as suggestions for future research on the topic. .

Religious beliefs and alcohol control policies: a Brazilian nationwide study

Objective: The connection between lower alcohol use and religiousness has been extensively examined. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed how religion and religiousness influence public policies. The present study seeks to understand the influence of religious beliefs on attitudes toward alcohol use. Methods: A door-to-door, nationwide, multistage population-based survey was carried out. Self-reported religiousness, religious attendance, and attitudes toward use of alcohol policies (such as approval of public health interventions, attitudes about drinking and driving, and attitudes toward other alcohol problems and their harmful effects) were examined. Multiple logistic regression was used to control for confounders and to assess explanatory variables. Results: The sample was composed of 3,007 participants; 57.3% were female and mean age was 35.7 years. Religiousness was generally associated with more negative attitudes toward alcohol, such as limiting hours of sale (p < 0.01), not having alcohol available in corner shops (p < 0.01), prohibiting alcohol advertisements on TV (p < 0.01), raising the legal drinking age (p < 0.01), and raising taxes on alcohol (p < 0.05). Higher religious attendance was associated with less alcohol problems (OR: 0.61, 95%CI 0.40-0.91, p = 0.017), and self-reported religiousness was associated with less harmful effects of drinking (OR: 0.61, 95%CI 0.43-0.88, p = 0.009). Conclusions: Those with high levels of religiousness support more restrictive alcohol policies. These findings corroborate previous studies showing that religious people consume less alcohol and have fewer alcohol-related problems. .

Religion, spirituality and cardiovascular disease: research, clinical implications, and opportunities in Brazil / Religião, espiritualidade e doença cardiovascular: pesquisa, implicações clínicas e oportunidades no Brasil

In this paper we comprehensively review published quantitative research on the relationship between religion, spirituality (R/S), and cardiovascular (CV) disease, discuss mechanisms that help explain the associations reported, examine the clinical implications of those findings, and explore future research needed in Brazil on this topic. First, we define the terms religion, spirituality, and secular humanism. Next, we review research examining the relationships between R/S and CV risk factors (smoking, alcohol/drug use, physical inactivity, poor diet, cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, and psychosocial stress). We then review research on R/S, cardiovascular functions (CV reactivity, heart rate variability, etc.), and inflammatory markers (IL-6, IFN-γ, CRP, fibrinogen, IL-4, IL-10). Next we examine research on R/S and coronary artery disease, hypertension, stroke, dementia, cardiac surgery outcomes, and mortality (CV mortality in particular). We then discuss mechanisms that help explain these relationships (focusing on psychological, social, and behavioral pathways) and present a theoretical causal model based on a Western religious perspective. Next we discuss the clinical applications of the research, and make practical suggestions on how cardiologists and cardiac surgeons can sensitively and sensibly address spiritual issues in clinical practice. Finally, we explore opportunities for future research. No research on R/S and cardiovascular disease has yet been published from Brazil, despite the tremendous interest and involvement of the population in R/S, making this an area of almost unlimited possibilities for researchers in Brazil.

Religiousness and mental health: a review / Religiosidade e saúde mental: uma revisão

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between religiosity and mental health has been a perennial source of controversy. This paper reviews the scientific evidence available for the relationship between religion and mental health. METHOD: The authors present the main studies and conclusions of a larger systematic review of 850 studies on the religion-mental health relationship published during the 20th Century identified through several databases. The present paper also includes an update on the papers published since 2000, including researches performed in Brazil and a brief historical and methodological background. DISCUSSION: The majority of well-conducted studies found that higher levels of religious involvement are positively associated with indicators of psychological well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, positive affect, and higher morale) and with less depression, suicidal thoughts and behavior, drug/alcohol use/abuse. Usually the positive impact of religious involvement on mental health is more robust among people under stressful circumstances (the elderly, and those with disability and medical illness). Theoretical pathways of the religiousness-mental health connection and clinical implications of these findings are also discussed. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that religious involvement is usually associated with better mental health. We need to improve our understanding of the mediating factors of this association and its use in clinical practice.

OBJETIVO: A relação entre religiosidade e saúde mental tem sido uma perene fonte de controvérsias. O presente artigo revisa a evidência científica disponível sobre a relação entre religião e saúde mental. MÉTODO: Os autores apresentam os principais estudos e as conclusões de uma revisão sistemática abrangente dos estudos sobre a relação religião-saúde mental. Utilizando-se de várias bases de dados, a revisão identificou 850 artigos publicados ao longo do século XX. O presente artigo também inclui uma breve contextualização histórica e metodológica, além de uma atualização com artigos publicados após 2000 e a descrição de pesquisas conduzidas no Brasil. DISCUSSÃO: A ampla maioria dos estudos de boa qualidade encontrou que maiores níveis de envolvimento religioso estão associados positivamente a indicadores de bem estar psicológico (satisfação com a vida, felicidade, afeto positivo e moral mais elevado) e a menos depressão, pensamentos e comportamentos suicidas, uso/abuso de álcool/drogas. Habitualmente, o impacto positivo do envolvimento religioso na saúde mental é mais intenso entre pessoas sob estresse (idosos, e aqueles com deficiências e doenças clínicas). Mecanismos teóricos da conexão religiosidade-saúde mental e as implicações clínicas destes achados são discutidos. CONCLUSÕES: Há evidência suficiente disponível para se afirmar que o envolvimento religioso habitualmente está associado a melhor saúde mental. Atualmente, duas áreas necessitam de maior investimento: compreensão dos fatores mediadores desta associação e a aplicação deste conhecimento na pratica clínica.