Health-related declines in activity level: examining religious participation in older Mexican Americans

Failing health is theorized as a key driver of declines in religious participation in late older adulthood. Few studies, however, have directly examined whether deteriorating health plays a role in these declines. Furthermore, health is multifaceted, yet little research has distinguished multiple aspects of health that are important for these declines in religious participation. Notably, no known research has been conducted in the Hispanic American population.

This study uses eight waves from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to assess how changes in health are related to changes in religious attendance among older Mexican Americans.

Standardized estimates from longitudinal random effects models show that distinct health effects on religious attendance from largest to smallest in magnitude were as follows: instrumental functional limitations, smoking history, mobility performance, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, vision impairment, and basic functional limitations.

These results elaborate prior theorizing, point to new directions for research, and identify potentially modifiable health factors impeding older adults' access to a valued form of social participation.