Aging Ment Health
June 2025
Objectives: Black people in the United States (US) experience an increased risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). More research is needed on psychosocial factors that may contribute to racial disparities in rates of ADRD. Past work has identified a relationship between quality of life (QoL) and ADRD risk and also found that religion/spirituality (R/S) participation protects against ADRD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Black people had the highest prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) of any racial/ethnic group in the United States (US) as of 2020. As racial disparities in the prevalence of ADRD are being investigated, more evidence is necessary to determine the pathways and mechanisms that either slow ADRD progression or improve quality of life for those affected. Religion/spirituality (R/S) has been shown to affect health outcomes but has rarely been studied as a possible pathway for reducing ADRD risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsycholog Relig Spiritual
November 2022
Religion and spirituality (R/S) play a central role in shaping the contextual experiences of many Black people in the United States. Blacks are among the most religiously engaged groups in the country. Levels and types of religious engagement, however, can vary by subcategories such as gender or denominational affiliation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDepression among African American adults can diminish their daily functioning and quality of life. African American communities commonly uses religion and spirituality (R/S) to cope with life stressors; however, it is unclear whether R/S contribute to mental health risk or resilience. Since men and women differ in their R/S participation and Christian denominations have varying gender roles and expectations, it is critical to determine if they experience similar mental health effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReligiosity is a potential social determinant of obesity risk among black Americans, a group that tends to be highly religious and disproportionately suffers from this disease. Although religious engagement differs within this group, researchers often classify black Protestants into broad categories, making it challenging to determine which subgroups experience the worst outcomes. Using data from the National Survey of American Life, this study investigated whether black adults from various Christian denominations had comparable odds of having obesity and if these findings were consistent across life stage (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Racial Ethn Health Disparities
October 2021
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities
October 2021
Hypertension, a major cardiovascular disease risk factor, is disproportionately prevalent among African American young adults. Religion and spirituality (R/S) have been studied for their potential effect on blood pressure (BP) outcomes. Despite their disproportionate hypertension risk and high levels of R/S engagement, limited research explores BP differences among religious African Americans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrior investigations of the relationships between religious denomination and diabetes and obesity do not consider the nuance within black faith traditions. This study used data from the National Survey of American Life (n = 4344) to identify denominational and religious attendance differences in obesity and diabetes among black Christian men and women. Key findings indicated that black Catholics and Presbyterians had lower odds of diabetes than Baptists.
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