Journal article
The association between religious beliefs and values with inflammation among Middle-age and older adults
Aging & mental health, Vol.28(10), pp.1343-1350
03/29/2024
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2024.2335390
PMCID: PMC11390335
PMID: 38553253
Abstract
Objectives: Dimensions of religion and spirituality are associated with better emotional, physical, and cognitive health. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms are not well known. We investigated the relationship between dimensions of religion and spirituality with levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of systematic inflammation, in middle-aged and older adults in the United States.Methods: In this descriptive longitudinal study using secondary data, we used proportional odds models of the generalized estimating equation (GEE) to assess the association between religious beliefs and values and religious service attendance with CRP levels from respondents (n = 2,385) aged 50 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study from 2006 to 2014.Results: Middle-aged to older adults who reported higher religious beliefs and values had lower levels of CRP, controlling for age, sex, education, marital status, race, household income, and health, such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and body mass index (BMI).Conclusion: Religious beliefs and values are associated with lower CRP levels among middle-aged and older adults in the U.S. This study adds to the understanding of biological processes underlying the relationship between dimensions of religion and spirituality with better cognitive and physical health, potentially through inflammation.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- The association between religious beliefs and values with inflammation among Middle-age and older adults
- Creators
- Katherine Carroll Britt - University of PennsylvaniaAugustine C. O. Boateng - University of PennsylvaniaJoshua Sebu - University of Cape CoastHayoung Oh - Georgetown UniversityRuby Lekwauwa - Yale UniversityLauren Massimo - University of PennsylvaniaBenjamin Doolittle - Yale University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Aging & mental health, Vol.28(10), pp.1343-1350
- DOI
- 10.1080/13607863.2024.2335390
- PMID
- 38553253
- PMCID
- PMC11390335
- NLM abbreviation
- Aging Ment Health
- ISSN
- 1360-7863
- eISSN
- 1364-6915
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Number of pages
- 8
- Grant note
- National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Nursing Research Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/29/2024
- Academic Unit
- Nursing; Center for Social Science Innovation
- Record Identifier
- 9984701733702771
Metrics
42 Record Views