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Ahrenfeldt LJ, Stripp TA, Möller S, Viftrup DT, Nissen RD, Hvidt NC. Cognitive function among religious and non-religious Europeans: a cross-national cohort study. Aging Ment Health 2024; 28:502-510. [PMID: 37771160 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2023.2260766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine the associations between several measures and categories of religiosity and cognitive function across sex and European regions. METHODS We conducted a longitudinal study including 17,756 Europeans aged 50 and older who participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe wave 1. Participants were followed for up to 15 years. Associations were analyzed using linear mixed effects models adjusted for several potential confounders. RESULTS Religious service attendance was consistently associated with better cognitive function (coefficient: 1.04, 95% CI 0.71; 1.37) across sex and European regions. Praying was also associated with better cognitive function but only among men (coefficient: 0.55, 95% CI 0.15; 0.96). However, individuals who received religious education from their parents had poorer cognitive function (coefficient: -0.59, 95% CI -0.93; -0.25). The association persisted in women and among both sexes in Western Europe. Comparing different religious categories to the non-religious, participants who were religious in childhood showed an inverse association with cognitive function, while persistently religious men exhibited better cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that religious service attendance and, to a certain extent, prayer is associated with better cognitive function. However, receiving religious education in childhood may be linked to lower cognitive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt
- Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Unit for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Tobias Anker Stripp
- Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sören Möller
- Open Patient data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
- Research unit OPEN, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dorte Toudal Viftrup
- Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Ricko Damberg Nissen
- Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Niels Christian Hvidt
- Research Unit for General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Academy of Geriatric Cancer Research (Age Care), Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
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Ahrenfeldt LJ, Möller S, Hvidt NC, VanderWeele TJ, Stripp TA. Effect of religious service attendance on mortality and hospitalisations among Danish men and women: longitudinal findings from REGLINK-SHAREDK. Eur J Epidemiol 2023; 38:281-289. [PMID: 36646924 DOI: 10.1007/s10654-023-00964-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Research suggests a protective effect of religious service attendance on various health outcomes. However, most research has been done in religious societies, raising the question of whether these associations are also prominent in secular cultures. Here we examine mortality and hospitalisations by religious service attendance among men and women in a secular society. We performed a cohort study including 2987 Danes aged 40+ interviewed in SHARE from 2004 to 2007 and followed up in the Danish registries until 2018. We used Cox regressions and negative binomial regressions to examine associations, including interactions with sex and adjusting for age, wave, socioeconomic factors, lifestyle factors, body mass index, and history of diseases. Overall, 5.0% of men and 6.6% of women reported that they had taken part in a religious organisation within the last month. Among 848 deaths, we found lower mortality for people who attended religious services (hazard ratio (HR) 0.70; 95% CI 0.50-0.99). There was evidence for an association among women (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.35-0.89), but not among men (HR 0.95; 95% CI 0.59-1.53). In contrast, regarding hospital admissions (n = 12,010), we found lower hospitalisation rates among men who attended religious services (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.67; 95% CI 0.45-0.98), whereas no association was found among women (IRR 0.95; 95% CI 0.70-1.29). Sensitivity analyses with E-values were moderately robust. Our results contribute to the limited literature on possible health benefits of religious service attendance in secular societies, demonstrating lower mortality among women and fewer hospitalisations among men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt
- Unit for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Biodemography, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J. B. Winsløws Vej 9B, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Sören Möller
- Open Patient Data Explorative Network, Odense University Hospital, 5000, Odense, Denmark
- Research unit OPEN, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark
| | - Niels Christian Hvidt
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark
- Academy of Geriatric Cancer Research (AgeCare), Odense University Hospital, 5000, Odense, Denmark
| | - Tyler J VanderWeele
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tobias Anker Stripp
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 5000, Odense, Denmark
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Human Flourishing Program, Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Alyami H, Alyami M, Krägeloh C, Nemenqani D, Henning M. Coping strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic and compliance with precautionary health behaviors: An online study among the Saudi adult population. SAUDI JOURNAL FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.4103/sjhs.sjhs_222_20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
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