Abstract

MENESES, Rute. Cam (self-)health care practices, health and religion. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2024, vol.25, n.1, pp.138-149.  Epub Mar 31, 2024. ISSN 1645-0086.  https://doi.org/10.15309/24psd250113.

On the one hand, research has shown several correlates of individuals' health, on the other hand, it supports some concern about the growing use of health care practices that can be included in CAM - Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Therefore, the aim of the present study is: to study CAM (self-)health care practices and the relationship between health and religion. Thus, between 1/10/2021 and 27/9/2023, 449 adults (18-88 years old) living in Portugal answered to a questionnaire via Google Forms (cross-sectional study). The majority reported interest in CAM practices and used them with conventional ones. The majority had a religion, were non-practising and considered that religion did not influence their decisions about health care. There were no statistically significant differences in perceptions of health, health care, results of and satisfaction with the last (self-)care practice, satisfaction with health or MHI-5 items depending on these religious characteristics. These results support the routine exploration of CAM health care practices to achieve safety, effectiveness, equity, inclusion, and sustainability in health psychology practice. They do not, however, reveal the relevance of certain religious aspects in the context of health.

Keywords : Health care practices; CAM; Religion; Self-care; Health perceptions.

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