نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسنده English
Mosques, as local socio-religious institutions, can play a significant role in promoting community health. This study aimed to identify the functions and capacities of mosques in the domain of health and to categorize them at different levels. A qualitative approach was employed using thematic analysis based on the six-phase model of Braun and Clarke (2006). Data were extracted through a purposive review of relevant scientific sources published between 1981 and 2026. The coding process was carried out in three stages—open, axial, and selective coding—resulting in the extraction of basic, organizing, and global themes. Data analysis revealed that the health-oriented functions of mosques can be categorized into three overarching themes: (1) preventive functions, including education on personal and public hygiene, promotion of healthy nutrition, enhancement of mental health, prevention of mental disorders, encouragement of physical activity, and improvement of health literacy; (2) supportive and treatment-facilitating functions, including providing a social platform for promoting complementary and traditional medicine, delivering charitable treatment services through volunteer physicians, supplying patients' necessities, playing a supportive and referral role in access to specialized services, and facilitating social networking in dealing with addiction and mental health problems; and (3) crisis management functions, including participation in combating infectious diseases, distribution of health supplies and first aid, and institutional cooperation with official organizations in vaccination and information campaigns. The findings indicate that the mosque is not merely a place of worship, but rather a multifunctional institution with extensive capacities in the domain of health.
کلیدواژهها English