TY - JOUR
T1 - “We Hide Under the Scriptures”
T2 - Conceptualization of Health Among United Methodist Church Clergy in Kenya
AU - Walther, Nikki Georggi
AU - Proeschold-Bell, Rae Jean
AU - Benjamin-Neelon, Sara
AU - Adipo, Sherine
AU - Kamaara, Eunice
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2015/12/29
Y1 - 2015/12/29
N2 - As community leaders, clergy are well-positioned to impact the health of their congregants. Clergy’s conceptualizations of health influence their own self-care and how they minister to others. Interviews and focus group discussions on health conceptualizations and health-seeking behaviors were conducted with 49 United Methodist Church clergy in Western Kenya. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological methods. Participants defined health holistically using an environmental health model. Some participants reported not seeking health care so their congregants would believe that their faith kept them healthy. Participants who believed that health comes directly from God reported seeking health care less often. Participants also reported combining traditional indigenous medicine with Western medicine. This study has implications for health promotion among Kenyan clergy and offers the first study of health conceptualization among clergy in Africa.
AB - As community leaders, clergy are well-positioned to impact the health of their congregants. Clergy’s conceptualizations of health influence their own self-care and how they minister to others. Interviews and focus group discussions on health conceptualizations and health-seeking behaviors were conducted with 49 United Methodist Church clergy in Western Kenya. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological methods. Participants defined health holistically using an environmental health model. Some participants reported not seeking health care so their congregants would believe that their faith kept them healthy. Participants who believed that health comes directly from God reported seeking health care less often. Participants also reported combining traditional indigenous medicine with Western medicine. This study has implications for health promotion among Kenyan clergy and offers the first study of health conceptualization among clergy in Africa.
KW - Clergy
KW - Health beliefs
KW - Health-seeking behaviors
KW - Kenya
KW - Religion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84942504581&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84942504581&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10943-014-9947-7
DO - 10.1007/s10943-014-9947-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 25371345
AN - SCOPUS:84942504581
SN - 0022-4197
VL - 54
SP - 2235
EP - 2248
JO - Journal of Religion and Health
JF - Journal of Religion and Health
IS - 6
ER -