Does religious attendance prolong survival? A six-year follow-up study of 3,968 older adults

Background The purpose of the study was to examine religious attendance as a predictor of survival in older adults. Methods. A probability sample of 3,968 community-dwelling adults aged 64-10 1 years residing in the Piedmont of North Carolina was surveyed in 1986 as part of the Established populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the El derly (EPESE) program of the National Institutes of Health. Attendance at r eligious services and a wide variety of sociodemographic and health variabl es were assessed at baseline. Vital status of members was then determined p rospectively over the next 6 years (1986-1992). Time (days) to death or cen soring in days was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards regression mod el. Results. During a median 6.3-year follow-up period 1,777 subjects (29.7%) d ied. Of the subjects who attended religious services once a week or more in 1986 (frequent attenders), 22.9% died compared to 37.4% of those attending services less than once a week (infrequent attenders). The relative hazard (RH) of dying for frequent attenders was 46% less than for infrequent atte nders (RH: 0.54, 95% CI 0.48-.0.61), an effect that was strongest in women (RH 0.51, CI 0.43-0.59) but also present in men (RH 0.63. 95% CI 0.52-0.75) . When demographics, health conditions, social connections, and health prac tices were controlled, this effect remained significant for the entire samp le (RH 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-.81), and for both women (RH 0.65, 95% CI 0.55-0.7 6, p < .0001) and men (RH 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-1.00, p = .05). Conclusions: Older adults, particularly women, who attend religious service s at least once a week appear to have a survival advantage over those atten ding services less frequently.