Abstract
The relationship between religion and health was investigated using data from a three-generation study of mexican Americans. Two measures of religion—religious institution attendance and self-rated religiosity—were correlated with a number of functional health indicators, including self-rated health, activity restriction owing to health, bed disability days, physician utilization, worry over health, a physical symptoms scale, and a depression scale. In addition, prevalence rates were calculated for several major chronic diseases. Many significant associations obtained, as well as an inverse relationship between self-rated religiosity and hypertension. These findings are interpreted in light of the literature on religious attendance and health and on religion and aging.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lenski, G.,The Religious Factor, New York, Doubleday, 1961.
Levin, J.S., and Schiller, P.L., “Is There a Religious Factor in Epidemiology?” (under review).
Glock, C.Y., and Stark, R.,Religion and Society in Tension. Chicago, Rand McNally, 1965.
Bellah, R.N.,Beyond Belief. New York, Harper & Row, 1970.
Yinger, J.M.,The Scientific Study of Religion. New York, Macmillan, 1970.
Wach, J.,Sociology of Religion. Chicago, Ill., The University of Chicago Press, 1944.
King, S.M., and Funkenstein, D.H., “Religious Practice and Cardiovascular Reactions During Stress,”J. Abnormal Social Psychology, 1957,55, 134–137.
Scotch, N.A., “Sociocultural Factors in the Epidemiology of Zulu Hypertension,”Amer. J. Public Health, 1963,53, 1205–1213.
Comstock, G.W., and Partridge, K.B., “Church Attendance and Health,”J. Chronic Diseases, 1972,25, 665–672; Comstock, G.W., and Tonascia, J.A., “Education and Mortality in Washington County, Maryland,”J. Health and Social Behavior 1977,18, 54–61; Comstock, G.W.; Abbey, H.; and Lundin, F.E., “The Non-Official Census as a Basic Tool for Epidemiologic Observations in Washington County, Maryland.” In Kessler, I.I., and Levin, M.C., eds.,The Community as an Epidemiologic Laboratory. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1970, pp. 73–97; Comstock, G.W., “Fatal Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease, Water Hardness at Home, and Socio-Economic Characteristics,”Amer. J. Epidemiology, 1971,94, 1–10.
Graham, T.W.; Kaplan, B.H.; Cornoni-Huntley, J.C.; James, S.A.; Becker, C.; Hames, C.G.; and Heyden, S., “Frequency of Church Attendance and Blood Pressure Elevation,”J. Behavioral Medicine, 1978,1, 37–43.
Hannay, D.R., “Religion and Health,”Social Science and Medicine, 1980,14A, 683–685.
Walsh, A., “The Prophylactic Effect of Religion on Blood Pressure Levels Among a Sample of Immigrants,”Social Science and Medicine, 1980,14B, 59–63.
Yates, J.W.; Chalmer, B.J.; St. James, P.; Follansbee, M.; and McKegney, F.P., “Religion in Patients with Advanced Cancer,”Medical and Pediatric Oncology, 1981,9, 121–128.
O'Brien, M.E., “Religious Faith and Adjustment to Long-Term Hemodialysis,”J. Religion and Health, 1982,21, 68–80.
Marks, R., “Factors Involving Social and Demographic Characteristics,”Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, 1967,45, part II, 61–108; Editorial, “Church Attendance and Coronary Heart Disease,”South African Medical J., 1973,47, 1267–1268; Kaplan, B.H., “A Note on Religious Beliefs and Coronary Heart Disease,”J. South Carolina Medical Association, 1976, Feb. (supplement), 60–64.
Levin, J.S., “The Role of the Black Church in Community Medicine,”J. National Medical Association, 198417, 477–83.
Markides, K.S., and Martin, H.W., with the assistance of gomez, E.,Older Mexican Americans: A Study in an Urban Barrio., Austin, University of Texas Press, 1983.
Ibid. p. 71.
Durkheim, E.,The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, London, Allen and Unwin, 1915.
Clebsch, W.A., “American Religion and the Cure of Souls.” In McLoughlin, W.G., and Bellah, R.N., eds.,Religion in America. Boston, Beacon Press, 1968, pp. 249–265.
Bytheway, B., “Problems of Representation in the ‘Three-Generation Family Study,’”J. Marriage and the Family, 1977,39, 243–250.
Markides, K.S.; Hoppe, S.K.; Martin, H.W.; and Timbers, D.M., “Sample Representativeness in a Three-Generations Study of Mexican Americans,”J. Marriage and the Family, 1983,45, 911–916.
Weisman, M.; Sholomskas, D.; Pottenger, M.; Prusoff, B.; and Locke, B., “Assessing Depressive Symptoms in Five Psychiatric Populations: A Validation Study,”Amer. J. Epidemiology, 1977,106, 203–214; Radloff, L., “The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Scale for Research in the General Population,”Applied Psychological Measurement, 1977,8, 385–401.
Eaton, W.W., and Kessler, L.G., “Rates of Symptoms of Depression in a National Sample,”Amer J. Epidemiology, 1981,114, 528–538; National Center for Health Statistics, “Basic Data on Depressive Symptomatology, United States, 1974–75,”Vital and Health Statistics, 1980,11, 216, 1–37.
Steinitz, L.Y., “Religiosity, Well-Being, and Weltanschauung among the Elderly,”J. Scientific Study of Religion, 1980,19, 60–67.
Blazer, D., and Palmore, E., “Religion and Aging in a Longitudinal Panel,”The Gerontologist, 1976,16 82–84.
Kaplan, B.H.,op. cit., 1, 63.
Cavenar, J.O., and Spaulding, J., “Depressive Disorders and Religious Conversions,”J. Nervous and Mental Disease, 1977,165, 209–212.
MacDonald, C.B., and Luckett, J.B., “Religious Affiliation and Psychiatric Diagnoses,”J. Scientific Study of Religion, 1983,22, 15–37.
For example, if health status variations by attendance actually exist, one crucial distinction may be between weekly attenders and those who go to church even more often. In fact, given the high prevalence, of weekly churchgoing in the United States (about forty percent), regardless of race (see Rosten, L., ed.,Religions of America. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1975, p. 432), this may be the critical distinction. A once-per-week-or-more category obscures this discrimination by assuming homogeneity for Sunday-only Protestants and those attending Wednesday night prayer services and by making no distinctions between Catholics (such as those in our sample) by frequency of going to Mass (for example, weekly versus daily communicants). In view of the possible therapeutic role of “healing charisma” in prayer services (Griffiths, E.E.H., and Mathewson, M.A., “Communitas and Charisma in a Black Church Service,”J. National Medical Association, 1981,73, 1023–1027) and the lower mortality among clergymen regardless of denomination (Locke, F.B., and King, H., “Mortality Among Baptist Clergymen,”J. Chronic Diseases, 1980,33, 581–590) the issue of “hyperattendance” ought to be given serious consideration.
Comstock, G.W., and Partridge, K.B.,op. cit.“. Comstock, G.W.,op. cit. Graham, T.W., et al.,op. cit.
Osler, W., “The Faith That Heals,”British Medical J., 1910, June 18, 1470–1472; Frank, J.D., “The Faith That Heals,”The Johns Hopkins Medical J., 1975,137, 127–131.
Hinkle, L.E., “Social Factors and Coronary Heart Disease: Some General Introductory Remarks,”Social Science and Medicine, 1968,2, 107–110.
Vanderpool, H.Y., “Is religion Therapeutically Significant?”J. Religion and Health, 1977,16, 255–259.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supportive by Grant No. AG04170 of the National Institute on Aging. The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Laura Ray in teh programming phase of the data analysis.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Levin, J.S., Markides, K.S. Religion and health in Mexican Americans. J Relig Health 24, 60–69 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01533260
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01533260