The essay reflects that religion acts as a social determinant of health and healthy aging. This topic focuses on the relationship between religion and faith, physical health, and the overall well-being of an individual. It has been evident that approximately 84% of the world’s population is religious, and, therefore, there is a need to investigate religion in depth (Ganaprakasam & Fonny, 2018). Religion plays a role in the overall health, well-being, and more prolonged lifespan of individuals (Ashley, 2018). Investigations have been conducted on how religious practices contribute to individuals’ physical and mental well-being, where healthcare organizations play a vital role ( Vang et al., 2019) . In general, research shows that religion and faith contribute to health through religious affiliation with healthcare organizations, better self-control measures, and the increase of hormones to promote happiness and health.
Healthcare and Religion
There is an existing association between healthcare systems, religion, and associated beliefs. Many healthcare organizations have been affiliated with religious groups, especially the Jewish and the Catholics. Religion and physical health are directly proportional to each other, and the studies on health behavior conclude that people associated with religion have a lower risk for common chronic diseases like coronary heart disease, renal health disabilities, and cancer. Moreover, research on health and spirituality reveals that actively religious people have more 66% survival rates than the non-religious counterparts ( Brenda & Bergeman, 2015) . Healthcare systems intentionally use faith to appease patients in times of extreme crisis, such as near the end-of-life phase. When patients’ religious rituals are performed or appear to be respected, patients tend to be at ease. A patient’s respective religious guidelines provide numerous resources to cope with everyday stress, increasing positive feelings. Some of the studies conclude that religion and faith created positive health outcomes and improved the quality of well-being. It encourages people to focus on meditation and self-reflection. A spiritual dedication was shown to help individuals recover quicker from illness and surgery (Zachary et al., 2016) . Research on heart transplant recipients reported that patients who were involved in religious activities and noted that their belief systems were important to them were seen to be stronger with follow-up medication, enhanced physical functioning, high sense of self-esteem, were less nervous, and also had few medical complications. However, it is essential to note that there are existing differences between the delivery of health care services based on the culture and religious beliefs of the minority population ( Brenda & Bergeman, 2015) . Understanding cultural background and positive application of cultural competence will dissolve the existing discrimination for a good transformational change.
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Religion and Mental Health
Religion, well-being, and medicine have been connected in some way from the beginning of recorded history ( Brenda & Bergeman, 2015). Various studies based on religion and spirituality concludes that approximately 76% of the Canadian population has been associated with some of the religious groups. For instance, they include religious devout (21%), spiritually uncertain (30%), and privately faithful (30%) ( Aarons et al., 2017) . All religions have comparable key qualities, which represent humanity’s mental nutrition. Religious preaching was shown to help individuals learn self-control, which tends to lead to a happier and more sustainable life ( Aarons et al., 2017) . Self-rated health had been significantly associated with objective health, focusing on the use of health services, future health, and mortality. Religion offers necessary guidelines in terms of healthcare and self-health monitoring to minimize the risk of chronic diseases ( Swihart & Martin, 2017) . People associated with religion have been lesser indulged in alcohol, crimes, and drug abuse which results in increased and improved mental health. Moreover, religion provides people with ideas to believe in, a context of the framework, and, in most cases, a group of individuals with whom they can hold common beliefs. These elements can have a substantial positive effect on mental health; studies show that religiousness decreases suicide rates among people specifically belonging to lower socio-economic status. Active religion establishes social ties with other members, gives people a sense of belonging in a group, and provides a trustworthy and secure environment for social interaction. A proportion of more than 20% of the Canadian population report no religious affiliation. Reviews conducted on the studies that focused on the field of religion and well-being concluded that approximately 86% of the studies on the religious bound individuals have marital stability. It was also noted that about 79% of the studies reported increased crime rates among the non-religious population ( Aarons et al., 2017) . However, continued efforts by both the healthcare organizations and community can bridge the gap between the provision of healthcare services and religion.
Physical and Psychological Health
Research on religion as a social determinant of public health is paramount based on the fact that it examines the diverse, lot of roles of faith traditions and human health throughout history, present, and in the modern world. It has been noted that poor mental health has been associated with chronic diseases ( Brenda & Bergeman, 2015) . People with severe mental health conditions are at a high risk of experiencing sudden and chronic physical conditions. Continued religious and spiritual inculcation into the human mind has been seen to increase serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, and endorphin levels and act as an essential factor for the R/S pathway and health (Ganaprakasam & Fonny, 2018) . It will eventually stimulate the overall health and happiness of human beings. The studies have also shown that the R/S pathway has played an important role in physical functioning or in helping a patient gain the functionality back after a chronic illness (Zachary et al., 2016). Religious beliefs and faith have been shown to enhance the immune system, which consequently lowers the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and others. People with chronic health conditions are also treated with exercises performed according to their religious doctrines, especially those known to ease physical pain and misery ( Vang et al., 2019) .
A part of the society still believes religion can create limitations for some groups, for example, women’s right or reproductive health, discrimination against another gender like LGBTQ. This view represents a fundamental ideology. For example, 72% of advanced cancer hospitalized patients experienced that their religious beliefs were not followed or were minimally addressed (Ganaprakasam & Fonny, 2018) . The studies have concluded that patients whose needs are acknowledged can cope easily with a chronic or terminal illness. Moreover, the lack of religious culture by the healthcare professionals at a national and international level can create healthcare gaps (Zachary et al., 2016). Healthcare systems must not involve religion-based discrimination, especially with patients belonging to poor socio-economic backgrounds. As revealed by Singh et al. (2020), the lack of religious knowledge, universal definition of healthcare services with respect to cultural beliefs, understanding different cultural needs concerning healthcare, and the unwillingness to deliver religious care is some factors that hinder healthcare workers from offering holistic care
Conclusion
In conclusion, religion can play a significant role in how patients cope with a serious disease, hardship, and loss. Physicians should address and also be attentive to their patients’ physiological, mental, and spiritual suffering. This is all way of delivering high-quality and compassionate care. Faith and communities do not work alone. Therefore, communities of faith promote the utmost health and well-being. When healthcare systems observe compassionate care offered by qualified healthcare professionals, this facilitates the establishment of proper partner organizations for ensuring improved patients’ lifestyles. Healthcare settings need to propagate hope, alleviate worries, and foster belief systems. The setting needs to integrate these beliefs into its meditative plan for patient safety and well-being. Most of the population, including new Canadians who rely on religion, depend on channels for spiritual and material support. The Canadian Federal Government should ensure the provision of these services to enable the creation of a safe and healthy environment.
References
Aarons, G. A., Monn, A. R., Leslie, L. K et al., (2017). Religious identity and health inequalities in Canada. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 20 ( 5), 1060-1074. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-017-0640-2
Ashley, H.C. (2018). The relationship between physical inactivity and mental well-being: Findings from a gamification-based community-wide physical activity intervention. Health Psychology Open, 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2055102917753853.
Brenda R., & Bergeman, C. S. (2015). How does religiosity enhance well-being? The role of perceived control. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 3 (2), 149–161. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021597
Ganaprakasam, C., & Fonny, D. (2018). Religion on psychological well-being and self-efficacy among secondary school students. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8 (5), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_4128
Singh, K., Junnarkar, M., & Singh, D. (2020). Associations between religious/spiritual practices and well-being among elderly rural women. Journal of Religious Health, 59 (2), 2753–2774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00877-9
Swihart, D., & Martin, R. (2017). Cultural-religious competence in clinical practice. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493216/.
Vang, Z.M., Hou, F. & Elder, K. (2019). Perceived religious discrimination, religiosity, and life satisfaction. Journal of Happiness Studies, 20 (3),1913–1932. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-018-0032-x
Zachary, Z., Carol, J., Chi-Tsun, C., Beth, O.M., Florencia, R., & Yasuhiko, S. (2016). Spirituality, religiosity, aging, and health in global perspective: A review. SSM , Population Health, 2, 1-14 . https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.04.009
