Belief, Behavior, and Health

This book uniquely examines, across cultures, the health benefits and detriments of religious beliefs, with important implications for individual well-being and human survival.

Sandra D. Lane is the Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Public Health and Anthropology at Syracuse University and a research professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Upstate Medical University.

1. Introduction 2. The Irish Catholics and the English Protestants: Family History and Social Determinants of Health from the European Wars of Religion 3. The Friends of Dorothy House: A Catholic Worker House for Those Dying of HIV/AIDS 4. Childbirth as a Pathway to Spiritual Transformation 5. Female Genital Cutting in Egypt and Islam 6. Vaccine Hesitancy: Hasidic Jews and Outbreaks of Measles and Polio 7. When Religion Causes Harm 8. Conclusion