Health and Daily Functioning of Older Women Religious

Women religious in the United States are aging as a population. These women live in a communal setting, eat from the same kitchen, are nulliparous, and have similar access to healthcare. The purpose of this study was to examine the general health and health practices of a modern sample of older women religious.

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

Cleveland Catholic Diocese, Cleveland, Ohio.

Older women religious (n = 108), 65 years or older, living independently within the Cleveland Catholic Diocese who could participate in a study interview, undergo a morphometric examination, and complete several questionnaires in English.

Study participants completed a study interview in which their demographic information, medical history, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure were obtained. Participants completed several questionnaires including the Tilburg Frailty Indicator, Falls Efficacy Scale-International, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, and the HbL Medication Risk Questionnaire.

The women in our sample were all white with a mean age of 75.6 years (range = 65-93 y). The vast majority (n = 104 [96%]) had at least a bachelor's degree. Prevalence for chronic diseases was notable for cataracts (60%), hypertension (60%), thyroid disorders (30%), osteoporosis (17%), and diabetes (7%). Nearly half of the sample (n = 48 [44%]) met BMI criteria for obesity, and another 39 women (36%) were overweight. Most women participated in yearly dental examinations (84.5%), eye examinations (79.4%), mammography (84.5%), and pneumovax vaccination (80.4%). Just over half of the women had the recommended colonoscopy (58.8%) and bone density (56.7%) screenings. Twenty women (19%) reported significant frailty, and 38 (35%) reported a significant fear of falling. The majority (80%) would benefit from a discussion about their medications.

Older women religious experience health issues that could benefit from targeted preventive health education and screening. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:1866-1870, 2019.