Diabetes and Hypertension in Congolese Church Personnel: An Emerging Epidemic?

Houser, Nancy; Baiden, Philip; Fuller‐Thomson, Esme

doi:10.1007/s10900-016-0276-5

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Alongside the aforementioned studies, in another investigation conducted by Houser et al . among 670 church personnel in North-Eastern Congo, pastors did not demonstrate a significantly lower prevalence of hypertension than church administrators 19 . We speculate that the behaviours of priests can explain the result.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Effect of religion on hypertension in adult Buddhists and residents in China: A cross-sectional study

Meng

Xü

Shi

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Correlation between religion and hypertension is worth investigating since they both influence many people. Compared to studies which quantify religion with indicators representing only restricted dimensions of religion, researches assessing religion as an integral is preferable while lacking. Moreover, religious behaviors have great potential to be generalized if they are proved to be mediator through which religion exerts effect. However, relevant evidence is limited. Therefore, this cross-sectional study recruited 1384 adult Tibetan Buddhists from two Buddhist institutes in the Sichuan Province of China, and enrolled 798 adult Tibetan residents from nearby villages/towns. Each participant received a questionnaire, physical examination, and blood biochemistry tests. Buddhist effect on hypertension was investigated. The effects of uniquely Buddhist behaviors on hypertension were analyzed. The hypertensive risk of the Tibetan Buddhists is significantly decreased by 38% than Tibetan residents. As a Buddhist behavior, vegetarian diet highly approximates to be protective for Tibetan hypertension. As another Buddhist behavior, longer Buddhist activity participation time is associated with decreased prevalence of hypertension as well as lower blood pressure (BP) by analyzing subgroup of 570 Buddhists. Therefore, the protective role of religion on hypertension is suggested, and the religious behaviors are mediators which may be applied to general population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Effect of religion on hypertension in adult Buddhists and residents in China: A cross-sectional study

Meng

Xü

Shi

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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“…[3] Excess weight and obesity and related CDs including hypertension and diabetes mellitus are consistently identified with the Congolese prior to arrival. [4,5,6] In addition to these pre-arrival risks, the process of acculturation, upon arrival in the US, further increases the risk of adverse CD related health outcomes. Acculturation is defined as the adoption of behaviors and values of the host country-these changes are associated with a decline in health, commonly referred to as the "immigrant paradox."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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2020

RGH

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Refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are one of the largest refugee groups globally and in the US, however, there is limited research with this group. Therefore, objectives of this study were to examine: 1) obesity and hypertension rates, 2) diet and lifestyle behavior changes, and 3) diet, lifestyle and social factors of obesity and hypertension risk of Congolese refugees in the US. This cross-sectional data collection utilized a survey developed specifically for this project. Clinical and anthropometric measures including height, weight and blood pressure were also obtained. Data analysis included descriptive and regression analysis. Participants (n=48, >18 years, 55% female) reported consumption of a traditional diet with an emphasis on starchy foods, dark leafy greens, legumes, fish and fruit. Adverse dietary changes and reductions in physical activity were reported. Of the sample 63% were overweight or obese and 91% exhibited elevated blood pressure. Sociodemographic factors including age, sex, and changes to lifestyle (diet, physical activity) were not significantly associated with BMI or diastolic or systolic blood pressure. Findings in this study reveal both lifestyle and clinical risk factors associated with chronic disease as well as potential health care and health literacy barriers. Results from this study may be utilized by practitioners and/or researchers to tailor culturally appropriate future health promotion and/or care to address and reduce health disparities commonly experienced by African refugees.

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Correlation between religion and hypertension

et al. 2018

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The objectives of the study were to investigate the relationship between religion and hypertension, as well as the theoretical mechanism through which religion exerts effect on hypertension. A MEDLINE literature search was performed on articles describing religion and hypertension (N = 543) excluding unqualified ones such as those without expected information, those neither correcting confounding factors nor matching the comparison groups and those reporting repeated trials. Eight extra articles from references of reviews were added to the included studies. Finally, 79 articles were formerly evaluated. Briefly, there are limited trials on correlation between religion and hypertension and their results are inconsistent. First of all, longitudinal investigations, especially the high-quality ones, are deficient. Secondly, studies evaluating religion as an integral are scarce, although they can assess religions most comprehensively. Third, few studies use several religious measurements that represent distinct dimensions of religion. Moreover, divergence exists among diverse populations, even if they are assessed by the same indicator. In addition, 59% studies are concerned with an unspecified species of religion, and Christianity is studied the most among those with a specific category of religion. Finally, the possible mechanism underlying religion and hypertension is complex, which can partially explain the different results among various populations. Comprehensive evaluation of a specific religion should be encouraged. In addition, for a specific population, the correlation between religion and hypertension should be examined particularly, even if similar investigations in other populations have been conducted. Finally, more evidence focused on the effects of distinct religions/sects is also required.

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Diabetes and Hypertension in Congolese Church Personnel: An Emerging Epidemic?

Cited by 3 publications

References 28 publications

Effect of religion on hypertension in adult Buddhists and residents in China: A cross-sectional study

Effect of religion on hypertension in adult Buddhists and residents in China: A cross-sectional study

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Correlation between religion and hypertension

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