Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to establish among health educators a consensus in the definition of spirituality and health that would ultimately guide effective development of a curriculum or program in spirituality and health for undergraduate programs in college health science departments. Methodology. This mixed-methods research study relied on qualitative data collected from interviews of a sample of leaders from national health organizations using broad, general interview questions. Survey data were collected from a broader set of educators employed within the CSU system who teach personal health courses at the undergraduate level. Findings. After multiple interviews, consensus was reached by health experts/leaders on the definition of spirituality as it relates to health at the undergraduate level. Experts agreed there is a connection and that spirituality is a connective link that ties the different dimensions of health together; however, how they described the relationship varied. The CSU health educators viewed all of these elements of spirituality as important definitions of spirituality. Both experts and CSU educators agreed that spirituality is an important component to include in the health curriculum. How it should be included varies. Additionally, experts and CSU educators agreed that one of the most important objectives was to identify and explain how spirituality relates to the other dimensions of health. Conclusions. The study data support the conclusions: (a) from the perspective of leaders, it is important to have a clear definition of the spiritual dimension of health to guide curriculum; (b) from the CSU health educator perspective, barriers to teaching spirituality are minimal and can be overcome; (c) the leaders and CSU educators agreed that spiritual health should be integrated into the health education curriculum for health science majors and minors. Recommendations. It is recommended that this study be replicated with larger secular and nonsecular populations and universities. Further research should be conducted on the opinions of university administrators/policymakers about the inclusion of the spiritual dimension of health for all university students, and finally, professional preparation and training in graduate programs for future health educators.