Exploring religious mechanisms for healthy alcohol use: religious messages and drinking among Korean women in California

Religion, Religious Heterogeneity, and Intimate Partner Violence Among Korean Immigrant Women

This study examined the role of religious affiliations and frequency of religious service attendance-such as church, Bible studies, and temples-as well as religious heterogeneity between couples on intimate partner violence (IPV) among Korean immigrant women in the United States. Through a case-control design, this study compared 64 Korean immigrant IPV victims with 63 Korean immigrant non-IPV victims. This study's findings reveal that for Korean immigrant women, a high frequency of religious service attendance was associated with higher IPV victimization, while their partners' high religious service attendance was associated with lower IPV victimization. When women's partners were religious compared with when they were not religious, they were less likely to perpetrate IPV even when the partners' alcohol consumption frequency increased. Also, when there was a gap between couples regarding frequency of religious attendance, IPV victimization increased. This discussion concludes by suggesting some policy implications based on these findings.

Religion and Alcohol Use among Second Generation Korean Americans: Commentary on "Assessing the Associations between Religiosity and Alcohol Use Stages in a Representative U.S. Sample" by Lin et al, 2020

This commentary describes the extent to which church-attending Korean Americans engage in heavy drinking and treatment seeking behaviors. Methods: Using a church-based participatory approach, I conducted a rapid ethnographic assessment, part of which included an online survey (N=137). Results: I found that 54.74% of the sample of reported hazardous drinking over the past 12 months, 33.48% reported driving under the influence at some point in life, and 0% sought any treatment. Participant observation and unstructured interviews revealed that at this particular church, drunkenness was considered sinful among key informants, but many church members still drank heavily, often with other church members. Conclusion: We observed an interaction between religious and drinking cultures among second generation Korean American young and middle aged adults. Future research can explore the potential ways in which Korean Americans accommodate religious proscriptions and heavy drinking, and how awareness of discrepancies between behaviors and values may figure into preventive interventions.

Church-Based Recruitment to Reach Korean Immigrants: An Integrative Review

Although the Korean church has been frequently used to recruit Korean immigrants in research, little is known about the specific strategies and process. The purpose of this integrative review was to describe recruitment strategies in studies of Korean immigrants and to identify the process of Korean church-based recruitment. Thirty-three studies met inclusion criteria. Four stages of church-based recruitment were identified: initiation, endorsement, advertisement, and implementation. This review identified aspects of the church-based recruitment process in Korean immigrants, which are different from the Black and Hispanic literature, due to their hierarchical culture and language barriers. Getting permission from pastors and announcing the study by pastors at Sunday services were identified as the key components of the process. Using the church newsletter to advertise the study was the most effective strategy for the advertisement stage. Despite several limitations, church-based recruitment is a very feasible and effective way to recruit Korean immigrants.

Health and Well-Being Among the Non-religious: Atheists, Agnostics, and No Preference Compared with Religious Group Members

Although recent research suggests that the proportion of the US population identifying as non-religious has been rapidly expanding over the course of the last decade, relatively little research has examined the implications of this development for health and well-being. This study uses data from a large representative survey study of religion and health in the adult US population (N = 3010) to examine group differences among religious group members (N = 2401) and three categories of non-religious individuals: atheists (N = 83), agnostics (N = 189), and those stating no religious preference (N = 329). MANCOVA was used to analyze group differences on five outcome dimensions, incorporating 27 outcome variables. Religious non-affiliates did not differ overall from affiliates in terms of physical health outcomes (although atheists and agnostics did have better health on some individual measures including BMI, number of chronic conditions, and physical limitations), but had worse positive psychological functioning characteristics, social support relationships, and health behaviors. On dimensions related to psychological well-being, atheists and agnostics tended to have worse outcomes than either those with religious affiliation or those with no religious preference. If current trends in the religious composition of the population continue, these results have implications for its future healthcare needs.

The effect of belonging to an alcohol-proscribing religious group on the relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and mortality

The purpose of this study was to examine whether belonging to a religious group that proscribes alcohol use moderated the relationship between moderate alcohol use and mortality. Data came from the Americans' Changing Lives study, based on a representative probability sample of adults 25 and older in the US, including 3390 participants (2135 female). Survey data were collected in 1986, and mortality tracked by death certificate through 2005. Proportional hazards modeling indicated that, consistent with previous research, moderate alcohol consumption (two drinks or fewer per day on average) was related with lower mortality compared with both total abstention from alcohol and heavy consumption (more than two drinks per day) among participants who did not belong to an alcohol-proscribing group. By contrast, moderate drinkers who belonged to alcohol-proscribing groups had higher mortality risk compared with non-drinkers. Means comparisons suggested possible group differences including health behaviors (moderate drinkers in proscribing groups drank somewhat less often but more on each occasion and were more likely to smoke) and social relationships (they had fewer close friends, felt more isolated, and had more negative social interactions). Members of religious groups that proscribe alcohol use may have health risks associated with moderate alcohol use that are not present in the general population. Practitioners should be aware of religious cultural differences when assessing individuals' risk from alcohol use.

Religiosity and substance use among Asian American college students: moderated effects of race and acculturation

BACKGROUND

Religiosity is a well-established protective factor against substance use among Caucasians, but limited research has examined its role among Asian Americans. The purposes of this study were (1) to examine whether the associations between religiosity and substance use outcomes differed across Caucasians and Asian Americans, and (2) to test whether acculturation moderated the associations between religiosity and substance use outcomes among Asian Americans.

METHOD

We utilized a large and diverse cross-sectional sample of 839 college students to test whether race moderated the associations between religiosity and substance use outcomes (Study 1). We then replicated and extended our findings in a separate college sample of 340 Asian Americans, and examined the moderating role of acculturation on the associations between religiosity and substance use outcomes (Study 2).

RESULTS

Controlling for age, gender, and paternal education, religiosity was protective against alcohol use, alcohol problems, and marijuana use among Caucasians but was unrelated to these outcomes among Asian Americans in Study 1. In Study 2, religiosity was protective against alcohol problems only at high levels of acculturation. Moreover, religiosity was protective against marijuana use at both high and mean levels of acculturation, but not at low levels of acculturation.

CONCLUSIONS

The protective effects of religiosity on alcohol use and problems varied across Caucasian and Asian American college students, and religiosity protected against alcohol problems and marijuana use only among more acculturated Asian Americans. These findings underscore the need to examine culturally-specific correlates of substance use outcomes among Asian Americans.

Korean American women's preventive health care practices: stratified samples in California, USA

Using data from a larger study, we explored the characteristics of preventive health care practices (influenza vaccination, mammogram, and Pap test) among a representative sample of 1,786 Korean American women residing in California by telephone. Three preventive health care practices were related to the goals set by Healthy People 2010. Participants with no education in the United States, who were born in Korea, resided in the United States longer, and had a primary care provider were more likely than others to reach these goals. Our findings indicate that a behavioral model was suitable to explain the three preventive health care practices.

Ethnic drinking cultures and alcohol use among Asian American adults: findings from a national survey

AIMS

To investigate the influence of ethnic drinking cultures on alcohol use by Asian Americans and how this influence may be moderated by their level of integration into Asian ethnic cultures.

METHODS

A nationally representative sample of 952 Asian American adults extracted from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions data was used. Multiple logistic and linear regression models were fitted, some of which were stratified by nativity.

RESULTS

Controlling for financial stress, discrimination and demographic variables, a hypothesized, positive relationship between ethnic drinking cultures and alcohol outcomes held for most drinking outcomes. A hypothesis on the moderating effect of integration into ethnic cultures indicated by ethnic language use was supported for US-born Asian Americans.

CONCLUSION

Ethnic drinking cultures may significantly influence alcohol use by Asian Americans. The influence of ethnic drinking cultures may be conditioned by the degree of integration into the ethnic cultures. To inform alcohol interventions for reducing harmful and hazardous alcohol use among immigrants, future research needs to explore the cultural and social processes occurring in immigrant communities that might significantly influence drinking.

Religion and preventive service use: do congregational support and religious beliefs explain the relationship between attendance and utilization?

Religious individuals are more likely to engage in healthy practices, including using preventive services; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been adequately explored. To begin addressing this, the current study examines the association between religious attendance, four aspects of congregational support, two health-related religious beliefs, and the use of preventive services (cholesterol screening, flu shot, and colonoscopy) among a national sample of Presbyterian adults (n = 1,076). The findings show that two aspects of congregational support are relevant to these types of behavioral health. First, church-based health activities are significantly related to the use of cholesterol screenings and flu shots (OR = 1.13, P < .05; OR = 1.10, P < .05, respectively). Second, discussing health-related issues with fellow church members is also significantly associated with reporting a cholesterol screening (OR = 1.15, P < .05), as well as moderately predictive of colonoscopy use (OR = 1.10, P < .10). Neither of the religious beliefs related to health, such as the God locus of health control scale or beliefs about the sanctity of the body, are related to preventive service use in this population. Although attendance is predictive of service use in unadjusted models, the association appears to be explained by age rather than by the congregational or belief variables. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the various ways in which religion might impact health behaviors and may also help to shape and refine interventions designed to improve individual well-being.

Smoking on both sides of the pacific: home smoking restrictions and secondhand smoke exposure among Korean adults and children in Seoul and California

INTRODUCTION

This study, informed by ecological frameworks, compared the prevalence, predictors, and association of home smoking restrictions with secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe) between Koreans in Seoul, South Korea, and Korean Americans in California, United States.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was drawn from telephone interviews with Korean adults in Seoul (N = 500) and California (N = 2,830) during 2001-02. Multivariable regressions were used for analyses.

RESULTS

Koreans, compared with Korean Americans, had significantly fewer complete home smoking bans, 19% (95% CI: 16-23) versus 66% (95% CI: 64-68), and were more likely to not have a home smoking restriction, 64% (95% CI: 60-69) versus 5% (95% CI: 4-6). Home smoking restrictions were associated with lower home SHSe; however, the impact was consistently larger among Korean Americans. Households with more SHSe sources were less likely to have the strongest home smoking restrictions, where the difference in complete bans among Korean Americans versus Koreans was largely among those at low risk of SHSe, 82% (95% CI: 76-86) versus 36% (95% CI: 17-57), while high-risk Korean American and Koreans had similar low probabilities, 10% (95% CI: 7-13) versus 7% (95% CI: 3-13).

CONCLUSIONS

Consistent with ecological frameworks, exposure to California's antismoking policy and culture was associated with stronger home smoking restrictions and improved effectiveness. Interventions tailored to Korean and Korean American SHSe profiles are needed. Behavioral interventions specifically for high-risk Korean Americans and stronger policy controls for Koreans may be effective at rapidly expanding home smoking restrictions.

Can religion help prevent obesity? Religious messages and the prevalence of being overweight or obese among Korean women in California

This research examines the influence of messages from religious leaders and congregants on whether Korean women are overweight or obese. Data were drawn from telephone interviews with a probability sample (N = 591) of women of Korean descent living in California. Overweight or obese prevalence was measured using World Health Organization standards for Asians (BMI > 23). Respondents reported the frequency of messages discouraging “excessive eating” or encouraging “exercise” from religious leaders and congregants during a typical month. When conditioned on leaders’ messages, the frequency of congregants’ messages was associated with a significantly lower probability of being overweight or obese, although messages from either in the absence of the other were unassociated with being overweight or obese. At least for Korean women, religion may help prevent obesity via religious-based social mechanisms.