Religion and mortality among the community-dwelling elderly

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Sociology of Religion

Background:

• Religious attendance is a common behavior among older adults.
• Previous research suggests a link between religious participation and health outcomes.
• Understanding the factors influencing mortality in aging populations is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively examine the association between religious service attendance and all-cause mortality.
• To determine if demographic, health, social, or psychological factors explain this association.
• To investigate the role of social support as a potential substitute for religious attendance's protective effect.

Main Methods:

• A 5-year prospective cohort study of 1931 older adults in Marin County, California.
• Self-reported religious attendance and mortality data were collected.
• Proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the association, including interaction terms for social support.

Main Results:

• Individuals attending religious services exhibited significantly lower all-cause mortality compared to non-attendees (age- and sex-adjusted relative hazard [RH] = 0.64).
• Multivariate analysis, including physical functioning and social support, only slightly attenuated this association (RH = 0.76).
• Religious attendance appeared more protective for individuals with high social support, contrary to the initial hypothesis.

Conclusions:

• The reduced mortality associated with religious service attendance is only partially accounted for by the investigated confounding factors.
• Further research is needed to explore psychodynamic and other potential explanations for this observed protective effect.
• Social support may complement, rather than substitute for, the benefits of religious attendance on mortality.