TY - JOUR
T1 - A religious framework as a lens for understanding the intersection of genetics, health, and disease
AU - Harris, Tina M.
AU - Keeley, Bethany
AU - Barrientos, Samantha
AU - Gronnvoll, Marita
AU - Landau, Jamie
AU - Groscurth, Christopher R.
AU - Shen, Lijiang
AU - Cheng, Youyou
AU - Cisneros, J. David
PY - 2009/2/15
Y1 - 2009/2/15
N2 - The primary goal of this study was to determine the extent to which religious frameworks inform lay public understandings of genes and disease. Contrary to existing research, there were minimal differences between racial groups. We did, however, observe two patterns in that data that are worthy of discussion. First, because participants were from the south, the finding that participants from both racial groups ascribe to a religious belief system to make sense of their lived experiences is not surprising. Rather, it appears to be reflective of the religious culture that is an integral part of the south and our identity as a nation. A second noteworthy finding is that while a significant number of participants believe that a relationship exists between health status, genes, and religious behaviors, they also recognize that positive health behaviors must also be adopted as a means for staving off disease. In some cases, however, there was a belief that health issues could dissolve or disappear as a result of certain religious behaviors such as prayer.
AB - The primary goal of this study was to determine the extent to which religious frameworks inform lay public understandings of genes and disease. Contrary to existing research, there were minimal differences between racial groups. We did, however, observe two patterns in that data that are worthy of discussion. First, because participants were from the south, the finding that participants from both racial groups ascribe to a religious belief system to make sense of their lived experiences is not surprising. Rather, it appears to be reflective of the religious culture that is an integral part of the south and our identity as a nation. A second noteworthy finding is that while a significant number of participants believe that a relationship exists between health status, genes, and religious behaviors, they also recognize that positive health behaviors must also be adopted as a means for staving off disease. In some cases, however, there was a belief that health issues could dissolve or disappear as a result of certain religious behaviors such as prayer.
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U2 - 10.1002/ajmg.c.30192
DO - 10.1002/ajmg.c.30192
M3 - Article
C2 - 19170099
AN - SCOPUS:59449100810
VL - 151
SP - 22
EP - 30
JO - American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics
JF - American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part C: Seminars in Medical Genetics
SN - 0897-4438
IS - 1
ER -