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Researchers report in areas with greater numbers of Christian fundamentalists, infant mortality rates are higher than in areas with more mainstream Christians. The study reveals external factors such as lack of social support, birth defects, poverty and lack of insurance, in addition to religious conviction, are the main reasons for the increased mortality rates.
The odds of an infant dying before their first birthday are higher in counties with greater proportions of conservative Protestants, especially fundamentalists, than in counties with more mainline Protestants and Catholics, according to a new Portland State University study The study, published online in May in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, supports the idea that the more insular, anti-institutional culture of fundamentalists can lead to poorer health outcomes.
Ginny Garcia-Alexander, a sociology professor in PSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the study's lead author, examined the influence of religion on postneonatal infant mortality rates, or the number of deaths from four weeks through the first year, using data from 1990 through 2010. Garcia-Alexander said a leading cause of infant death in the first 28 days is birth defects, which can be heavily influenced by advances in medical knowledge and technology. By contrast, deaths in the next 11 months of life are more often linked to external factors such as poverty, lack of insurance, social support networks and religion.
Garcia-Alexander said the findings mirror trends seen in adult mortality rates, where areas with more mainline Protestants and Catholics had better health outcomes than areas with more conservative Protestants.
The study's findings build on previous research that says that Catholicism and mainline Protestantism are civically minded, externally oriented faiths that emphasize community-level care. For example, church-affiliated hospitals and social-service providers such as Catholic Charities can bolster the health infrastructure of local communities.
Source: https://neurosciencenews.com/infant-mortality-fundamentalism-9165/
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday June 20 2018, @06:44AM
I have not suggested that religion is the main reason, or even the only reason. The study clearly says "such as poverty, lack of insurance, social support networks and religion". I would suggest that 'poverty' probably covers the failing economies in the counties that you have mentioned. The phrase 'such as' also suggests that the authors of the study do not claim that the reasons that they state in that sentence are the sole reasons that have been identified.
I'm not at all sure why you should accuse me of 'willfully misinterpreting' the data. I am merely arguing that, whatever the causes of the differences between the areas being discussed in the study, there is something that you cannot explain to my satisfaction but for the time being we will have to agree to disagree upon.
No matter. This discussion began because you said [soylentnews.org]:
I hope that this discussion between us has also shown the value of the stories we print. If we simply accept them at face value then we are missing out on what is, to me, a very valuable aspect of this site, namely that it gives us all the chance to enter into a serious and intelligent discussion about the stories that we print. I have enjoyed the discussion with you but I fear that we will get no further on this particular topic. There will be other stories today and in the future. Hopefully we will meet again where, who knows, next time we might be in full agreement with each other. Have a good day and keep posting AC!