Religion and spirituality in a health model for Iranian women: Farmehr model

There is a relationship between health and religion and spirituality. Thus in designing a health model for Iranian women (Farmehr) this relationship was considered. The Farmehr model is a comprehensive conceptual model aiming to represent all factors affecting Iranian women's health and their interactions. This paper deals with stating religion and spiritual factors and their position in the Farmehr model.
This was a qualitative study. In all 23 experts were interviewed. Content analysis was performed to explore the data. The data further were examined and modified through deep interviews and focused group discussions with experts and policy makers.
The findings revealed that the relationship exist between health and "attitudes and believes", "values", "morality", and “religious and spiritual capital and resources in society”. Also it was found that they affect the health of whole society and thus were considered as the fundamental axis in the Farmehr model. Other factors that affected by the religion and spirituality were religious and spiritual behaviors and family background that were recognized respectively in the layer of life style and family relationships in individual level of the model. The spiritual factors have been indicated in some other health models such as social determinants of health model as social, cultural, and spiritual values, forces, or assumptions.
The Farmehr women's health model suggest that the set of indicated factors have a significant impact on understanding and interpretation of individuals about their own health and that of the others, their health behaviors and other behaviors that affect the health of family and society and even on thinking behind making policy and planning in public and health system.