Abstract
This study examined whether the frequency of participation in religious activities and seeking care from spiritual and other traditional medicine (TM) practitioners were associated with blood glucose (HbA1c) control among urban Ghanaians with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Findings revealed that increased frequency of participation in religious activities was significantly associated with decreased HbA1c levels, whereas increased use of TM practitioners was significantly associated with increased HbA1c levels. These findings suggest that strategically integrating religious activities into disease management plans for Ghanaians with T2DM who identify as being religious may be a viable intervention mechanism.
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Funding for this work was provided by the following institutions at the University of South Carolina: The Office of the Vice President for Research, the Walker Institute, and the Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior. There are no grant numbers associated with these sources of funding.
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Botchway, M., Davis, R.E., Appiah, L.T. et al. The Influence of Religious Participation and Use of Traditional Medicine on Type 2 Diabetes Control in Urban Ghana. J Relig Health 61, 1966–1979 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01187-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01187-9