Religious Attendance in a Secular Country Protects Adolescents from Health-Risk Behavior Only in Combination with Participation in Church Activities

Religiosity and spirituality have been considered to be protective factors of adolescent health-risk behavior (HRB). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between adolescents’ HRB and their religiosity, taking into account their parents’ faith and their own participation in church activities. A nationally representative sample (n = 13377, 13.5 ± 1.7 years, 49.1% boys) of Czech adolescents participated in the 2018 Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study. We measured religious attendance (RA), faith importance (FI) (both of respondents and their parents), participation in church activities and adolescent HRB (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use and early sexual intercourse). We found that neither RA nor FI of participants or their parents had a significant effect on adolescents’ HRB. Compared to attending respondents who participate in church activities (AP), non-attending respondents who participate in church activities were more likely to report smoking and early sexual intercourse, with odds ratios (ORs) ranging from 3.14 (1.54–6.39) to 3.82 (1.99–7.35). Compared to AP, non-attending respondents who did not participate in church activities were more likely to report early sexual intercourse, with OR = 1.90 (1.14–3.17). Thus, our findings show that RA does not protect adolescents from HRB; they suggest that RA protects adolescents from HRB only in combination with participation in church activities.

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Spirituality, religiosity and the mental health consequences of social isolation during Covid-19 pandemic

International Journal of Social Psychiatry ◽

10.1177/0020764020970996 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002076402097099 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giancarlo Lucchetti ◽

Leonardo Garcia Góes ◽

Stefani Garbulio Amaral ◽

Gabriela Terzian Ganadjian ◽

Isabelle Andrade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Social Isolation ◽

Spiritual Growth ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Religious Attendance ◽

Health Consequences ◽

Religious Activities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Religiosity And Spirituality

Background: Evidence shows that religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are highly used in critical moments of life and that these beliefs are associated with clinical outcomes. However, further studies are needed to assess these beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aims: To evaluate the use of R/S during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and to investigate the association between R/S and the mental health consequences of social isolation. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in May 2020. Online surveys were carried out assessing sociodemographics, R/S measures, and social isolation characteristics and mental health consequences (hopefulness, fear, worrying and sadness). Adjusted regression models were used. Results: A total of 485 participants were included from all regions of Brazil. There was a high use of religious and spiritual beliefs during the pandemic and this use was associated with better mental health outcomes. Lower levels of worrying were associated with greater private religious activities (OR = 0.466, CI 95%: 0.307–0.706), religious attendance (OR = 0.587, CI 95%: 0.395–0.871), spiritual growth (OR = 0.667, CI 95%: 0.448–0.993) and with an increase in religious activities (OR = 0.660, CI 95%: 0.442–0.986); lower levels of fear were associated with greater private religious activities (OR = 0.632, CI 95%: 0.422–0.949) and spiritual growth (OR = 0.588, CI 95%: 0.392–0.882) and, lower levels of sadness (OR = 0.646, CI 95%: 0.418–0.997) were associated with spiritual growth. Finally, hope was associated with all R/S variables in different degrees (ranging from OR = 1.706 to 3.615). Conclusions: R/S seem to have an important role on the relief of suffering, having an influence on health outcomes and minimizing the consequences of social isolation. These results highlight the importance of public health measures that ensure the continuity of R/S activities during the pandemic and the training of healthcare professionals to address these issues.

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Associations of self-esteem with different aspects of religiosity and spirituality

Ceskoslovenska psychologie ◽

10.51561/cspsych.65.1.73 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 73-85

Author(s):

Kristýna Gábová ◽

◽

Klára Maliňáková ◽

Peter Tavel

Keyword(s):

Human Life ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Religious Attendance ◽

Self Report ◽

Research Approach ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Religious Coping ◽

Religiosity And Spirituality ◽

High Level

Objectives. Religiosity and spirituality (R/S) are associated with many dimensions of human life and could contribute to one’s self-esteem; however, there is no certainty that this is also applicable to non-religious countries. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the association of different aspects of R/S with self-esteem in a secular environment. Participants and setting. An online sample of 464 Czech respondents aged 15 and over (mean age 30.7; SD=12.63; 27.2% men) participated in the survey. Self-esteem, religiosity, religious attendance, frequency of prayer, negative religious coping, image of God and spirituality were measured. Results. Regular prayer, spirituality (per standard deviation, SD), a low level of religious struggles (per SD) and a positive God image (per SD) were associated with higher self-esteem, with odds ratios ranging from 1.28 to 2.16 (p˂0.05 to p˂0.001). In contrast, compared to non-religious respondents, religious respondents had an approximately 60% lower chance of having a high level of self-esteem (p˂0.05). However, a combination of R and S showed that while religious/spiritual respondents did not differ significantly from non-religious respondents, religious/non-spiritual respondents had approximately 79% lower chance of having good self-esteem (p˂0.001). Study limitations. The main limitation of this study is that it did not reach a representative sample, which limits the generalizability of the findings to the whole population. This is also the first study using this kind of research approach, which, however, limits the interpretation of results. Moreover, it is a cross-sectional study, so any conclusions on causality cannot be made, and the questionnaire used only self-report measures, which could be influenced by a social desirability bias.

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A diary study of social anxiety, interpersonal interactions and health risk behavior in college students

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e527772014-805 ◽

2011 ◽

Author(s):

Kristina Wilson

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Social Anxiety ◽

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behavior ◽

Health Risk Behavior ◽

Diary Study ◽

Interpersonal Interactions

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Association of breastfeeding and risk of metabolic syndrome and its components in postmenopausal parous women: Korea national health and nutrition examination survey (2010 ~ 2016)

Archives of Public Health ◽

10.1186/s13690-021-00607-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jusuk Lee ◽

Taehong Kim

Keyword(s):

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Laboratory Data ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Korean Women ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Study Participants

Abstract Background Understanding the relationship between breastfeeding (BF) and metabolic syndrome (Mets) is important for maternal long-term health benefits and disease prevention. This study aimed to examine the association between BF and Mets and its components among postmenopausal parous Korean women. Methods This cross-sectional study on 10,356 Korean women used nationally representative data from the KNHANES from 2010 to 2016. Anthropometric, laboratory data and manual BP were measured. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association of BF with Mets and its components after adjusting for potential confounding variables. A p-value < 0.05 was to be considered statistically significant. Results Mets was present in 42% of the study participants. The BF group had low household income and education level. The prevalence of Mets in the BF group was higher than that in the non-BF group (42.69% vs. 34.76%, p < 0.001). BF was associated with increased risk of Mets (odds ratio [OR]: 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18–1.65, p < 0.001). The BF group was at higher risks for diabetes (OR: 1.5, 95%CI: 1.14–1.98), hypertension (OR: 1.32, 95%CI: 1.03–1.68), hypertriglyceridemia (OR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.02–1.99) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR: 1.32, 95%CI: 1.06–1.65). Conclusion In this study, BF did not affect decreasing the prevalence of Mets and its components.

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Mood and Metabolic Health Status of Elderly Osteoporotic Patients in Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Nationally Representative Sample

Healthcare ◽

10.3390/healthcare9010077 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 77

Author(s):

Hyen Chul Jo ◽

Gu-Hee Jung ◽

Seong-Ho Ok ◽

Ji Eun Park ◽

Jong Chul Baek

Keyword(s):

Abdominal Obesity ◽

Bone Health ◽

Elderly Women ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Standard Procedures ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Male Subjects ◽

Female Subjects

This study aimed to investigate the association between osteoporosis and comorbidity, which are very common in Korea, and develop a treatment strategy to improve bone health based on the findings of the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (KNHANES). This study was based on data obtained from 4060 subjects (1755 males, 2305 females) aged above 60 years in the KNHANES (2016–2017). Well-trained medical staff performed the standard procedures and measured several variables including height, weight, and waist circumference. Interviews and laboratory tests were based on the diagnosis of hyperuricemia, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), osteoporosis, and depression. Comorbidities were defined as a self-reported physician diagnosis. The association of osteoporosis with depression and metabolic disease was assessed statistically using the complex sample analysis method of SPSS. The presence of osteoporosis, dyslipidemia, T2DM, hyperuricemia, obesity, abdominal obesity, and depression was 6.1 ± 0.5%, 15.2 ± 0.7%, 6.5 ± 0.4%, 13.4 ± 0.7%, 30.8 ± 0.8%, 19.4 ± 0.9%, 4.0 ± 0.2%, respectively. After adjusted by age, osteoporotic subjects were significance in the presence of abdominal obesity (p = 0.024, OR 0.80), hyperuricemia (p = 0.013, OR 0.68), dyslipidemia (p < 0.001, OR 1.84), and depression (p < 0.001, OR 2.56), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed dyslipidemia (female subjects, p < 0.001, OR 1.04; male subjects, p = 0.94, OR 1.09) and depression (female subjects, p < 0.001, OR 1.76; male subjects, p = 0.51, OR 0.62) were associated with osteoporotic female subjects but not in male subjects. The comorbidity of dyslipidemia and depression in female subjects was associated with osteoporosis and an odds ratio was 13.33 (95% CI: 8.58–20.71) (p < 0.001). The comorbidity of abdominal obesity (female subjects, p = 0.75, OR 0.97; male subjects, p = 0.94, OR 1.02) and hyperuricemia (female subjects, p = 0.27, OR 0.81; male subjects p = 0.07, OR 0.35) was not associated with osteoporosis in both Subgroup. The result of this study shows a strong dependency of comorbidity with dyslipidemia and depression in elderly women with osteoporosis. Therefore, efforts to improve dyslipidemia and depression might prevent compromised bone health.

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Types of social capital in relation to self-rated health: Gender differences in a nationally representative cross-sectional study of South Korean adults

Global Public Health ◽

10.1080/17441692.2021.1924221 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Soim Park ◽

Yunhee Kang ◽

Pamela J. Surkan

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Social Capital ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

South Korean ◽

Self Rated Health ◽

Korean Adults ◽

Nationally Representative

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Financial hardship and health risk behavior during COVID-19 in a large US national sample of women

SSM - Population Health ◽

10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100734 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 100734

Author(s):

Laura Sampson ◽

Catherine K. Ettman ◽

Salma M. Abdalla ◽

Elizabeth Colyer ◽

Kimberly Dukes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Risk ◽

Risk Behavior ◽

National Sample ◽

Financial Hardship ◽

Health Risk Behavior

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Characteristics of those most vulnerable to employment changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a nationally representative cross-sectional study in Wales

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health ◽

10.1136/jech-2020-216030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. jech-2020-216030

Author(s):

Benjamin J Gray ◽

Richard G Kyle ◽

Jiao Song ◽

Alisha R Davies

Keyword(s):

Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽

Household Survey ◽

Well Being ◽

Employment Outcomes ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Public Health Response ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Exact Test ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

The Impact

BackgroundThe public health response to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a detrimental impact on employment and there are concerns the impact may be greatest among the most vulnerable. We examined the characteristics of those who experienced changes in employment status during the early months of the pandemic.MethodsData were collected from a cross-sectional, nationally representative household survey of the working age population (18–64 years) in Wales in May/June 2020 (n=1379). We looked at changes in employment and being placed on furlough since February 2020 across demographics, contract type, job skill level, health status and household factors. χ2 or Fisher’s exact test and multinomial logistic regression models examined associations between demographics, subgroups and employment outcomes.ResultsOf our respondents, 91.0% remained in the same job in May/June 2020 as they were in February 2020, 5.7% were now in a new job and 3.3% experienced unemployment. In addition, 24% of our respondents reported being placed on furlough. Non-permanent contract types, individuals who reported low mental well-being and household financial difficulties were all significant factors in experiencing unemployment. Being placed on ‘furlough’ was more likely in younger (18–29 years) and older (60–64 years) workers, those in lower skilled jobs and from households with less financial security.ConclusionA number of vulnerable population groups were observed to experience detrimental employment outcomes during the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted support is needed to mitigate against both the direct impacts on employment, and indirect impacts on financial insecurity and health.

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Ultra-processed food consumption in Barbados: evidence from a nationally representative, cross-sectional study

Journal of Nutritional Science ◽

10.1017/jns.2021.21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Rachel M. Harris ◽

Angela M. C. Rose ◽

Suzanne Soares-Wynter ◽

Nigel Unwin

Keyword(s):

Communicable Disease ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Targeted Interventions ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Group 4 ◽

The Mean ◽

Nationally Representative

Abstract Our objective was to describe, for the first time in an English-speaking Caribbean country, the contribution of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) to nutrients linked to non-communicable disease. Using a cross-sectional study design, dietary data were collected from two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls. Recorded food items were then classified according to their degree of processing by the NOVA system. The present study took place in Barbados (2012–13). A representative population-based sample of 364 adult Barbadians (161 males and 203 females) aged 25–64 years participated in the study. UPFs represented 40⋅5 % (838 kcal/d; 95 % CI 791, 885) of mean energy intake. Sugar-sweetened beverages made the largest contribution to energy within the UPF category. Younger persons (25–44 years) consumed a significantly higher proportion of calories from UPF (NOVA group 4) compared with older persons (45–64 years). The mean energy shares of UPF ranged from 22⋅0 to 58⋅9 % for those in the lowest tertile to highest tertile. Within each tertile, the energy contribution was significantly higher in the younger age group (25–44 years) compared with the older (45–64 years). One-quarter of persons consume ≥50 % of their daily calories from UPF, this being significantly higher in younger persons. The ultra-processed diet fraction contained about six times the mean of free sugars and about 0⋅8 times the dietary fibre of the non-ultra-processed fraction (NOVA groups 1–3). Targeted interventions to decrease the consumption of UPF especially in younger persons is thus of high priority to improve the diet quality of Barbadians.

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