Does Religious Participation Predict Future Expectations About Health? Using a Life Course Framework to Test Multiple...

Area of Science:

• Religion and Health
• Sociology of Religion
• Health Psychology

Background:

• The relationship between religion and health is well-documented, yet future health expectations remain understudied.
• Religious teachings often emphasize future-oriented perspectives, making future health expectations a relevant area of inquiry.
• Future self-rated health is a predictor of life expectancy and mortality risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how religious involvement, specifically stable attendance patterns from childhood to adulthood, influences future health expectations.
• To explore the mediating factors in the relationship between religious attendance and future health outlooks.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2017 Values and Beliefs of the American Public Study (Baylor Religion Survey Wave 5).
• Employed parametric mediation analyses within a counterfactual framework to assess causal pathways.
• Examined the association between stable religious attendance and future health expectations, considering potential mediators.

Main Results:

• Stable, high (weekly) religious attendance from childhood to adulthood was associated with higher expectations of future health.
• Mediation analyses indicated that this association is explained by increased belief in divine control and decreased engagement in smoking.
• Findings suggest a life course perspective is crucial for understanding religion's impact on health expectations.

Conclusions:

• Stable religious involvement across the lifespan positively shapes future health expectations.
• Belief in divine control and reduced health-risk behaviors are key pathways linking consistent religious attendance to a more optimistic health future.
• Future research should consider religious involvement as a factor in shaping long-term health outlooks.