Religions and Religiosity on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Primary Care

Religious activity or religiosity is defined as the degree of participation in and adherence to a particular religions' teaching and its organized activity. Religious beliefs are the fundamental belief system that could influence our ideas, our values of life and ways of living. Many patients recognize the importance of religion in their own lives and would want the physicians to take religious factor into account of their health care management. Most British general practitioners and American family physicians recognized the positive impact of religiosity on their patients' health. This book compiles the findings from a study that explored the association between religiosity/spirituality and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) control as well as religions and T2D control. The study examined also the prevalence of religiosity/ spirituality, religion and social support amongst the T2D patients in primary care. In addition, social support and its association with glycaemic control in patients with T2D is also reported.