Dear Editor,
In the November 2022 issue of the journal, various authors focused on a plethora of public health concerns and their prevention [1]. They stressed the importance of effective systems, healthy lifestyles, interventions, and support from multiple institutions for the well-being of the people. In addition to their valuable studies, the author would like to add that providing religious and/or spiritual support to community members, especially the most vulnerable in society, promotes human flourishing and alleviates the pressures of their day-to-day life. In this letter, the author would like to give insights into the relationship of religion/spirituality with the health and well-being of the people, particularly vulnerable populations.
Recent studies have shown that religion, spirituality, medicine, and healthcare are interconnected as part of a holistic approach to health [2,3]. Vulnerable populations who face adversity turn to religion for support [4]. This commentary presents an overview of scholarly articles on health, religion, and vulnerable populations. A review of published literature for the past 5 years has been conducted. Using Boolean operators with the search terms “health,” “religion and spirituality,” and “vulnerable population” in the EBSCO Discovery Service and limiting the results to peer-reviewed articles, the author found only 9 articles. A summary of the themes and insights on health, religion/spirituality, and vulnerable populations can be found in Table 1.
Table 1.
Themes and insights on health, religion/spirituality, and vulnerable populations
| No. of articles | Themes | Insights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Partnership for collaborative global health and well-being | Various organizations, including government, public health organizations, and religious institutions, are called to collaborate and support the well-being of the vulnerable in society |
| 2 | Religion and recovery | Faith-based organizations and other religious institutions are instrumental in providing recovery and public health services to the poor and needy |
| 3 | Need for public health and religious care | Empirical evidence shows that public health and religious care are needed by individuals experiencing adversities in life |
| 3 | Positive impact of religion/spirituality | Studies show that there is a significant and positive impact of religion/spirituality in improving the health and well-being of the vulnerable population |
As nations continue to deal with the many challenges caused by health and cost-of-living crises, the author agrees that special attention should be given to filling the gap of inequalities, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society. These crises have a profound impact on them. Therefore, supporting the poor requires collaboration among various institutions. Faith-based organizations may also be given attention as they provide religious and spiritual support, as well as public health services to the needy [5], Last but not least, the limited number of studies linking health, religion/spirituality, and the vulnerable population presents a good opportunity for further research, particularly on tackling poverty and inequalities.
Footnotes
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The author has no conflicts of interest to declare for this study.
REFERENCES
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