Journal of Social Behavior and Community Health

en Religion as a Social Determinant of Health: Perceived Role of Religiosity in Risky Behavior and Social Problems رفتارهای اجتماعی Social Behavior Original Article Background: Religion as a social determinants of health(SDOH) has long been a topic of fascination and debate, affecting various aspects of human life, including behavior. Some behaviors cause social problems due to harmful consequences they have when they become popular. Risky health behaviors are part of these social issues Method: This study employs Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore individuals' perceptions of the role of religiosity in social problems in Shiraz in 2022 . To gain deeper insights into this relationship, we conducted semi- structured in-depth interviews with 14 participants, who engaged in various forms of risky behavior.  Results: The study revealed four distinct themes:  a constructive viewpoint, where religion was seen as integral to addressing social issues, guiding individuals towards positive behavior;  a destructive viewpoint, where religion was perceived as a source of harm and risky behavior;  a separation between social issues and religion, indicating that certain social problems and behavior transcend religious definitions; and  the interaction of religion with some factors which underscores the interplay between religion and other determinants, such as economic status, in shaping perceptions of social problems. Economic status emerged as a significant factor influencing participants' perspectives on social issues and risky behavior.  Conclusion: This study showed that understanding of people involved in high-risk behaviors about the role of religion in the occurrence of these behaviors and social damages are very different. Some consider religion to be very effective in preventing these behaviors, and some consider religion to be the cause of social damage, emphasizing the importance of considering these diverse perspectives in addressing social issues in contemporary society.   social determinants of health, religion, social problems, health risk behaviors. 1407 1421 http://sbrh.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-511-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Narges Arab Moghaddam narabmoghadam@yahoo.com 0000-0001-9188-0063 No Academic Center for Educarion, Culture and Research- Fars Branch. Shiraz, Iran Maryam Soroush msoroush52@gmail.com 0000-0003-2044-7494 No Academic Center for Educarion, Culture and Research- Fars Branch. Shiraz, Iran Hassan Joulaei Joulaei_h@yahoo.com 0000-0002-8498-5331 Yes Health Policy Research Center (HPRC), Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Sedige Alborzi alborzi254@gmail.com 0000-0002-0122-735x No Academic Center for Educarion, Culture and Research- Fars Branch. Shiraz, Iran Roohollah Jalili Ruhollah.jalili@gmail.com 0000-0003-4841-7668 No Academic Center for Educarion, Culture and Research- Fars Branch. Shiraz, Iran