Noncommunicable diseases and social determinants of health in Buddhist monks: An integrative review
Issued Date
2022-04-01
Resource Type
ISSN
01606891
eISSN
1098240X
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85124482163
Pubmed ID
35124814
Journal Title
Research in Nursing and Health
Volume
45
Issue
2
Start Page
249
End Page
260
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Research in Nursing and Health Vol.45 No.2 (2022) , 249-260
Suggested Citation
Jeamjitvibool T., Tankumpuan T., Lukkahatai N., Davidson P.M. Noncommunicable diseases and social determinants of health in Buddhist monks: An integrative review. Research in Nursing and Health Vol.45 No.2 (2022) , 249-260. 260. doi:10.1002/nur.22215 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/87568
Title
Noncommunicable diseases and social determinants of health in Buddhist monks: An integrative review
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
The prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing worldwide. Buddhist monks in Thailand play a critical role in health as community leaders accounting for 0.3% of the population. However, some monks require treatment and hospitalization to alleviate the burden of NCDs due to religious beliefs and practices during ordainment. Risk factors for NCDs among Buddhist monks, and the relationship to social determinants of health (SDH) remain unclear. This integrative review examined the prevalence of NCDs and explored the relationship between SDH and health outcomes among Buddhist monks. Cohort, descriptive, and correlational studies published in both English and Thai languages were identified from the PubMed, Science Direct, CINAHL, and Thai journal databases. Keywords included “Thai Buddhist monks,” “non-communicable diseases,” and “prevalence”. Twenty-two studies were selected. Obesity and hypertension were the most prevalent NCDs. Religious beliefs and practices influence SDH domains and play an important role in the lifestyle and health behaviors among Buddhist monks. Further understanding of the impact of the religious lifestyle is needed, particularly given the role and influence of monks in society.