The objective of this study was to examine the association between religious practices, beliefs, and cognitive impairment among Black and White men with modest incomes in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study.
Methods
Data were drawn from Black and White men who reported annual incomes at or below $50,000 (n = 926). The primary outcome was any cognitive impairment, a dichotomous variable derived from a modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. The religious variables were religious service attendance, private prayer frequency, and religious beliefs.
Results
Results from regression models indicated that religious service attendance was inversely related with cognitive impairment among White men (PR = 0.64, CI: 0.48–0.87). Private prayer (PR = 0.67, CI: 0.47–0.97) and religious beliefs (PR = 0.91, CI: 0.84–1.00) were inversely related to cognitive impairment among Black men.
Discussion
Our results suggest that religious practices and beliefs may contribute to cognitive preservation among Black and White men, but longitudinal studies are needed to examine these associations further.
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