Doctoral Dissertation Research: Religion and Maternal and Child Health in Uzbekistan

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

Religion and Maternal and Child Health in Uzbekistan Abstract The central aim of this project is to develop and expand understanding of the connections between religion and maternal and child health. Do religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices exert a protective effect on health? What are the important pathways by which religious belief works itself into the body? The project calls for the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods in order to illuminate the processes through which religious beliefs and practices are linked to maternal and child health outcomes in Uzbekistan. In the quantitative stage of the project, analyses of two large-scale nationally representative datasets yield a generalizable picture of broad patterns at work on the national level. The qualitative part of the project consists of participant observation research, focus groups, and in-depth interviews to be conducted in the Tashkent region of Uzbekistan. Though a growing body of research points to strong connections between religion and various aspects of individual health, most work in the area focuses on the West, especially the United States, and little is known about how the process might operate in other contexts, particularly Islamic contexts. Certain aspects of Islam have been linked to lower status, compromised health outcomes, and reduced reproductive choice for women, but these outcomes are not universal in Islamic societies and are largely dependent on context. Previous research indicates that Islamic religion may have a range of effects, positive and negative, on maternal and child health. This project, a context-specific examination of the link between religion and maternal and child health, will contribute to filling a gap in both the religion/health and the maternal and child health literature in sociology and demography. The broader impacts of the planned research are twofold. First, the innovative goal of combining multiple methods through an iterative process in order to better describe the phenomena of interest has potential to benefit sociology and other disciplines where mixed methods are utilized. Second, by asking important questions about a specific aspect of religion and health in the Uzbek context, the project seeks to give voice to a group largely excluded from most substantively related research. Research exploring the practice of Islam in individuals' daily lives in a non-Western society is valuable for the discipline. Through broad dissemination of results in the larger community, at professional conferences, and in publications, this project will enhance understanding and encourage researchers working in Islamic regions to consider the role of religion in a variety of contexts. Further, this research will serve to inform health assistance policy regarding the importance of everyday religious practices in the region. By understanding the pathways through which religious beliefs affect health practices, assistance groups can better take advantage of preexisting assets and prepare for obstacles in the promotion of improved maternal and child health.