Denominational and Gender Differences in Hypertension Among African American Christian Young Adults

Robbins, Paul A.; Scott, Melissa; Conde, Eugenia; Daniel, Yannet; Darity, William A.

doi:10.1007/s40615-020-00895-4

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Further, a recent study found that Pentecostal women in young adulthood (i.e., aged 24–32) were more likely to have hypertension, a condition commonly comorbid with obesity, compared to Baptists (Robbins et al. 2020). Although hypertension is not the cause of the obesity differences observed in this study, it is notable that Pentecostal women had unfavorable health outcomes in two unrelated data sets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, gender differences in which church attendance categories predicted lower obesity odds provides further evidence that the mechanisms relating religion to health risk and resilience may be dissimilar for men and women (Robbins et al. 2020; Godbolt et al. 2018; Bruce et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2018), members of groups with higher cultural expectations for religious engagement and involvement in social support networks may be exposed to different health risk than other groups (Robbins et al. 2020). Group variation in beliefs about the church's role in providing health maintenance messages and support programming could contribute to group differences in health outcomes.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2020; Cline and Ferraro 2006; Kim, Sobal, and Wethington 2017; Robbins et al. 2020). Previous research highlights the complicated relationship between religion and health, since religious participation has been associated with both positive and negative health behaviors (Dodor 2012; Horton 2015; Reeves et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the majority of black people in the United States, religion plays a key role in their daily lives (Mattis and Grayman-Simpson 2013;Pew Research Center 2014;Taylor, Chatters, and Brown 2014). As such, religion has been studied for its possible influence on health outcomes, including hypertension and obesity (Bentley-Edwards et al 2020;Cline and Ferraro 2006;Kim, Sobal, and Wethington 2017;Robbins et al 2020). Previous research highlights the complicated relationship between religion and health, since religious participation has been associated with both positive and negative health behaviors (Dodor 2012;Horton 2015;Reeves et al 2012;Schlundt et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Denominational Differences in Obesity Among Black Christian Adults: Why Gender and Life Stage Matter

Robbins¹,

Carr

Smith

et al. 2021

Scientific Study of Religion

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Religiosity 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.e., young, middle, and late adulthood). Results suggest that for middle‐aged Pentecostal women, and men and women who attend church most frequently, the odds of having obesity were comparably higher than their respective counterparts. These findings indicate that, even when denominational consolidation is appropriate in other religious research contexts, researchers should consider diaggregating black Christians by denomination when examining the relationship between religion and health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Denominational Differences in Obesity Among Black Christian Adults: Why Gender and Life Stage Matter

Robbins¹,

Carr

Smith

et al. 2021

Scientific Study of Religion

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Religious participation is associated with fewer dementia diagnoses among Black people in the United States

Griffith,

Robbins,

Ferede

et al. 2024

American J Hum Biol

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IntroductionBlack 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. Crucially, Black people also report higher levels of R/S than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This research asks if R/S affects ADRD risk among Black adults and if any effects persist after controlling for hypertension.MethodsWe conducted a secondary data analysis drawing from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a nationally representative longitudinal dataset with an oversampling of Black adults.ResultsWe used logistic regression analysis to demonstrate how R/S has an ameliorating impact on ADRD risk among Black people, even after controlling for hypertension. Those who never attended religious services had 2.37 higher odds of being diagnosed with ADRD than those who attended more than once a week. Further, as R/S attendance increased, ADRD risk decreased linearly.ConclusionThese findings demonstrate the importance that existing cultural networks (e.g., R/S) can have for reducing ADRD burden for Black people and has important implications for the role of R/S in shaping ADRD symptomatology.

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Racial Discrimination, Religious Coping, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among African American Women and Men

Ashe,

Bentley-Edwards,

Skipper

et al. 2024

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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Objective This cross-sectional study examined whether religious coping buffered the associations between racial discrimination and several modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors—systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and cholesterol—in a sample of African American women and men. Methods Participant data were taken from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity Across the Life Span study (N = 815; 55.2% women; 30–64 years old). Racial discrimination and religious coping were self-reported. CVD risk factors were clinically assessed. Results In sex-stratified hierarchical regression analyses adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, and medication use, findings revealed several significant interactive associations and opposite effects by sex. Among men who experienced racial discrimination, religious coping was negatively related to systolic BP and HbA1c. However, in men reporting no prior discrimination, religious coping was positively related to most risk factors. Among women who had experienced racial discrimination, greater religious coping was associated with higher HbA1c and BMI. The lowest levels of CVD risk were observed among women who seldom used religious coping but experienced discrimination. Conclusion Religious coping might mitigate the effects of racial discrimination on CVD risk for African American men but not women. Additional work is needed to understand whether reinforcing these coping strategies only benefits those who have experienced discrimination. It is also possible that religion may not buffer the effects of other psychosocial stressors linked with elevated CVD risk.

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Denominational and Gender Differences in Hypertension Among African American Christian Young Adults

Cited by 9 publications

References 78 publications

Denominational Differences in Obesity Among Black Christian Adults: Why Gender and Life Stage Matter

Denominational Differences in Obesity Among Black Christian Adults: Why Gender and Life Stage Matter

Religious participation is associated with fewer dementia diagnoses among Black people in the United States

Racial Discrimination, Religious Coping, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among African American Women and Men

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