Assisting individuals with diabetes in the COVID-19 pandemic period: Examining the role of religious factors and faith communities

Table 1 Results on the role of religious factors in diabetes management

Ref.	Study objective	Method	Result
Watkins et al[97]	This study looked at how spiritual and religious beliefs, social support, and diabetes self-care activities among African Americans with type 2 diabetes are linked, and it was expected there would be a positive link	This was a cross-sectional study	According to the results, there was a significant association between spiritual and religious beliefs and practices and the general diet
Ahmad et al[98]	The purpose of this study was to identify the religious beliefs of Indian migrants in Australia and their impact on diabetes self-management practices	This was a qualitative exploratory study	The results indicated that prayers aided participants in relieving stress and improving their diabetes management. Additionally, the participant believed that receiving blessings/prayer from religious leaders aided in the prevention or cure of diseases such as diabetes
How et al[99]	A central goal of this study was to determine the relationship between religiosity, religions, and type 2 diabetes mellitus glycemic control	This is a cross-sectional study conducted at an urban, university-based, teaching outpatient clinic	The results indicated a higher level of religiosity among Moslems was associated with significantly better glucose control. As compared to patients of other religions, those who attended church recorded better glycemic control
Darvyri et al[57]	An evaluation of the impact of spirituality/religiosity on the management of T2DM was the goal of the study	This was a systematic review	A positive correlation was found between religiosity/spirituality and the improvement of T2DM management in this study
Fatima et al[100]	In this study, the purpose was to evaluate religious coping in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic	It was an online survey	According to the study, it was found that positive religious coping in the Nigerian population was significantly higher than that in the Indian population

T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019.

Table 2 Results on the role of faith communities in diabetes management

Ref.	Study objective	Method	Result
Pengpid et al[107]	The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a community (church)-based lifestyle intervention program in Gauteng, South Africa, to control high normal blood pressure and/or high normal blood glucose in church members	The study is a cluster randomized controlled evaluation of a group-based program	The results indicate that the church-based lifestyle intervention was effective in reducing participants' high normal blood pressure and/or high normal blood glucose
Sukarno and Pamungkas[108]	The purpose of this study was to investigate the meaning of religiousness in relation to diabetes management in T2DM patients by selecting a concept, defining the analysis purpose, identifying a model case, examining attributes, antecedents, and consequences, and defining empirical referents	This research utilized a concept analysis method	The findings identified religiousness-related characteristics such as religious belief, religious practice, religious support, and religious coping in the context of diabetes care management
Heidari et al[109]	Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between religious practices and self-care among people who have type 2 diabetes	A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 154 diabetic patients	The results showed significant positive correlations between religious practices and self-care activities in diabetic patients
Dehning et al[110]	This survey was designed to assess how religious adherence affects patients' perceptions of disease and treatment	This was a descriptive survey at an ophthalmology clinic in Missouri	The researchers found that the more adherent a patient was to faith-based activities or exhibited knowledge of fundamental dogmas, the greater their feelings of well-being were

T2DM: Type 2 diabetes mellitus.