This period has seen ( a) development and expansion of systematic programs of research and inquiry, ( b) improvement in the quality of research and scholarship around these issues, and ( c) expansion of interest in this topic to diverse fields of research (e.g. In the past several years, systematic research on religious involvement and physical and mental health has begun to explore the functional mechanisms linking these constructs. Despite recognized methodological and analytical issues ( 39), overall the findings indicate a consistent and salutary influence of religious factors on individual and population health ( 110, 122). The relationship between religion and health has been of longstanding interest in the health, social, and behavioral sciences, spanning a period of >100 years ( 117, 121, 122, 123). Future research directions point to promising new areas of investigation that could bridge the constructs of religion and health. Investigations of religion and health have ethical and practical implications that should be addressed by the lay public, health professionals, the research community, and the clergy. Methodological and analytical advances in the field permit the development of more complex models of religion's effects, in keeping with proposed theoretical explanations. Recent research has validated the multidimensional aspects of religious involvement and investigated how religious factors operate through various biobehavioral and psychosocial constructs to affect health status through proposed mechanisms that link religion and health. Systematic programs of research investigate religious phenomena within the context of coherent theoretical and conceptual frameworks that describe the causes and consequences of religious involvement for health outcomes. ▪ AbstractResearch examining the relationships between religion and the health of individuals and populations has become increasingly visible in the social, behavioral, and health sciences.
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