Religion and Reproductive Health

One of the first research projects funded by the Religion and Public Health Collaborative was an exploratory project on Religion and Reproductive Health for women and couples in Georgia. This project has grown out of findings in previous Emory research that suggest that religion appears to indirectly influence decisions and beliefs about reproductive health, family planning, and contraceptive use, but is not explicitly tied to issues such as whether or not an individual uses contraception or has an abortion. There are several components to the project (i.e., ethnographic, interview, survey and focus groups) that explore how women and couples make decisions about their health and families and the role that religion, faith, and spirituality play in those decision processes. Joining Dr. Hogue as Co-Principal Investigator for this project is Laurie Gaydos, PhD, a former postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Gaydos is now a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management. She also serves as the Chair of the Policy committee for the RPHC.

Please explore the links to the left to find out more about Religion and Reproductive Health research at Emory University.