Functional Limitations and Religious Service Attendance in Later Life: Barrier and/or Benefit Mechanism?

Kelley‐Moore, Jessica A.; Ferraro, Kenneth F.

doi:10.1093/geronb/56.6.s365

Cited by 70 publications

(55 citation statements)

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“…is also considerable evidence to indicate no association (Berges et al 2007;Fitchett et al 2013;Hybels et al 2012;Idler 1987;Kasl 1992, 1997a;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro 2001;Krause 1998;Krause and Hayward 2012;Park et al 2008;Son and Wilson 2011) or that religious involvement is associated with poorer physical functioning (Benjamins 2004;Haley et al 2001;Hayward and Krause 2013;Idler and Kasl 1992;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro 2001;Krause and Hayward 2012). 1 Because most studies of religious involvement and physical functioning are based on data collected from probability samples of predominantly non-Hispanic white and black respondents, previous work has been able to generalize only to specific populations.…”

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confidence: 99%

Religious Attendance and the Mobility Trajectories of Older Mexican Americans

et al. 2016

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Does religious involvement favor physical functioning? At this point, there is no consistent empirical evidence concerning the true nature of the association (Benjamins 2004;Fitchett et al. 2013;Powell, Shahabi, and Thoresen 2003). According to a recent study by Fitchett and colleagues (2013:235), "considerable uncertainty remains about the exact influence of religious beliefs and practices on health outcomes in older adults, such as disability, which is a critical marker of overall physical health in late life." Several studies show that higher levels of religious involvement are associated with lower rates of impairment in activities of daily living (ADLs) (Berges et al. 2007(Berges et al. , 2010Fitchett et al. 2013;Haley, Koenig, and Bruchett 2001;Hayward and Krause 2013;Hybels et al. 2012Hybels et al. , 2014Idler 1987; Kasl 1992, 1997b;Krause and Hayward 2012; Park et al. 2008), instrumental ADLs (IADLs) (Hybels et al. 2012(Hybels et al. , 2014 Park et al. 2008), and physical mobility (Benjamins 2004;Berges et al. 2007;Fitchett et al. 2013;Hybels et al. 2012Hybels et al. , 2014. There 627850H SBXXX10.1177/0022146515627850Journal of Health and Social BehaviorHill et al. AbstractAlthough several studies have examined the association between religious involvement and physical functioning, there is no consistent empirical evidence concerning the true nature of the association. The Hispanic population is also surprisingly understudied in previous work. In this article, we employ seven waves of data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to examine the association between religious attendance and performance-based mobility trajectories among older Mexican Americans. Growth mixture estimates reveal three latent classes of mobility trajectories: (1) high, (2) moderate, and (3) low. Multinomial logistic regression estimates show that the odds of being classified as having low mobility (versus high and moderate mobility) are lower for respondents who attend religious services than for respondents who never attend. Religious attendance does not distinguish between moderate and high mobility. Our regression results confirm that religious attendance is associated with favorable mobility trajectories among older Mexican Americans. is also considerable evidence to indicate no association (Berges et al. 2007;Fitchett et al. 2013;Hybels et al. 2012;Idler 1987; Kasl 1992, 1997a Because most studies of religious involvement and physical functioning are based on data collected from probability samples of predominantly non-Hispanic white and black respondents, previous work has been able to generalize only to specific populations. However, the lack of replication across diverse samples has limited the potential to generalize across populations. In other words, it is unclear whether the patterns reported in predominantly non-Hispanic white and black populations might extend to other populations. Krause and Bastida (2011:207) explain that "the lack of attention to the relationshi...

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Religious Attendance and the Mobility Trajectories of Older Mexican Americans

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“…They found that attendance predicted higher levels of functional ability even when the effects of a variety of other health and psychosocial factors were controlled. Kelley-Moore and Ferraro (2001), by contrast, found no relationship between religious service attendance at baseline and functional limitations three years later in a national sample of adults aged 60 years and older. More recently, Benjamins (2004) compared two waves of a national, longitudinal study of older adults and found a statistically significant relationship between religious service attendance at baseline and lower levels of functional limitations five years later.…”

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confidence: 63%

“…Prior research has identified demographic and social-psychological predictors of disability onset and functional change over time. Among those most frequently mentioned are social participation (Avlund et al 2004; de Leon et al 1999 de Leon et al , 2001 de Leon, Glass, and Berkman 2003; Stuck et al 1999 Only a few studies have considered religiousness as a predictor of functional change over time (Benjamins 2004;Idler and Kasl 1997;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro 2001). The most widely cited is Idler and Kasl's (1997) examination of the effect of religious service attendance at baseline on functional disability over a 12-year period using a sample of older adults in New Haven.…”

Section: Nih Public Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only a few studies have considered religiousness as a predictor of functional change over time (Benjamins 2004;Idler and Kasl 1997;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro 2001). The most widely cited is Idler and Kasl's (1997) examination of the effect of religious service attendance at baseline on functional disability over a 12-year period using a sample of older adults in New Haven.…”

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Religiousness and Longitudinal Trajectories in Elders' Functional Status

et al. 2008

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The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of religiousness on the trajectories of difficulties with activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADLs (IADLs) in community-dwelling older adults over a three-year period. Seven waves of data from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging were analyzed using a hierarchical linear modeling method. The study was based on the 784 participants who completed interviews every six months between December 1999 and February 2004. Frequent religious service attendance was associated with fewer ADL difficulties and IADL difficulties at baseline. Furthermore, religious service attendance predicted slower increases for frequent churchgoers and steeper increases for less frequent churchgoers in IADL difficulties, controlling for variables related to demographics and resources. Religious service attendance was independently associated with ADL and IADL difficulties cross-sectionally. However, significant protective effects of religious service attendance were identified longitudinally only for the IADL trajectory. Keywords religiousness; elderly; functional status; HLM The aim of this study was to examine the effect of religious involvement on the trajectories of community-dwelling elders' functional status. Factors that affect the trajectory of functional decline in community-dwelling elders are important because nearly 20% of older adults in the United States have one or more functional limitations (Federal Interagency Forum on AgingRelated Statistics 2004), and there are serious negative consequences from functional limitations for older adults and their families, including loss of independence and increased need for care. With the anticipated growth in the older population, the number of elders with limitations is expected to rise to 21 million by 2030 and 25 million by 2050 (Shirey and Summer 2000). Such increases will result in greater costs for Medicare and Medicaid and other publicly funded programs.Recent studies have demonstrated health benefits of religious involvement for older adults (Benjamins 2004;George, Ellison, and Larson 2002;Hill et al. 2005), with some studies © 2008 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.Please address correspondence to Nan Sook Park, School of Social Work, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0314; npark@bama.ua.edu.. The possible mechanisms in which religious involvement produces beneficial effects on the disability process may include several components (Koenig 2008;Koenig, McCullough, and Larson 2001). Taylor, Chatters, and Levin (2004), writing on religion in the lives of African Americans, cited a number of theoretical explanations for relationships between religious participation and good health. One is that religious teachings and beliefs are often consonant with good health habits that can prevent disease and disability (Roff et al. 2005). NIH Public AccessReligious participation also tends to build relationships with supportive resources. Individuals are more socially integrated with ...

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“…Religious activity has been empirically linked to an array of attributes that impact upon health outcomes, such as personal values, locus of control, feelings of self, health related behaviors, intergenerational associations, and coping mechanisms (Ellison and Levin 1998;Gillum 2006;Hill et al 2007;Hummer et al 1999Hummer et al , 2004Iwasaki et al 2002;Krause 2004Krause , 2002Krause et al 2002;Lawler-Row and Elliott 2009;Obisesan et al 2006;Ryan and Willits 2007;Strawbridge et al 2001). This research has provided good evidence that strong religious convictions, especially when combined with frequent attendance of religious services, results in longer and functionally healthier lives (Chida et al 2009;Gillum et al 2008;Hummer et al 1999;Helm et al 2000;Hill et al 2005;Idler and Kasl 1997;Kelley-Moore and Ferraro 2001;Koenig et al 1999;Krause et al 1999;La Cour et al 2006;Oman and Reed 1998;Roff et al 2006;Strawbridge et al 1997;Yeager et al 2006;Zhang 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religious activity, life expectancy, and disability-free life expectancy in Taiwan

et al. 2013

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Research has implicated religious activity as a health determinant, but questions remain, including whether associations persist in places where Judeo-Christian religions are not the majority; whether public versus private religious expressions have equivalent impacts, and the precise advantage expressed as years of life. This article addresses these issues in Taiwan. 3,739 Taiwanese aged 53? were surveyed in 1999, 2003, and 2007. Mortality and disability were recorded. Religious activities in public and private settings were measured at baseline. Multistate lifetables produced estimates of total life expectancy and activity of daily living (ADL) disability-free life expectancy across levels of public and private religious activity. There is a consistent positive gradient between religious activity and expectancy with greater activity related to longer life and more years without disability. Life and ADL disability-free life expectancies for those with no religious affiliation fit in between the lowest and highest religious activity groups. Results corroborate evidence in the West. Mechanisms that intervene may be similar in Eastern religions despite differences in the ways in which popular religions are practiced. Results for those with no affiliation suggest benefits of religion can be accrued in alternate ways.

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Functional Limitations and Religious Service Attendance in Later Life: Barrier and/or Benefit Mechanism?

Cited by 70 publications

References 41 publications

Religious Attendance and the Mobility Trajectories of Older Mexican Americans

Religious Attendance and the Mobility Trajectories of Older Mexican Americans

Religiousness and Longitudinal Trajectories in Elders' Functional Status

Religious activity, life expectancy, and disability-free life expectancy in Taiwan

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