Religion, sociodemographic and personal characteristics, and self-reported health in whites, blacks, and Hispanics living in low-socioeconomic status neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the multifaceted role of race/ethnicity in the relationship between religiosity and health.

METHODS: Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and pairwise comparisons were used to compare the means for health, religiosity, and personal characteristics in Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics. A simultaneous-equation model with five equations modeled the relationship between physical health, mental health, self-rated health, organizational religiosity, and non-organizational religiosity. Qualitative data were used to help interpret quantitative results.

RESULTS: Health outcomes, religiosity, reasons cited for being a member of a religious organization, and personal factors differed by race/ethnicity. Overall, individuals with more social resources tend to have higher organizational religiosity and better health, while individuals with fewer social resources tend to have higher non-organizational religiosity and poorer health. The model indicates the complexity of the relationships between race/ethnicity, religiosity, and health. Blacks reported higher organizational and non-organizational religiosity than Whites, while Hispanics reported higher non-organizational religiosity, after controlling for sociodemographic and personal factors and reasons cited for belonging to a religious organization. Being Black was directly associated with lower mental health and self-rated health; however, being Black was indirectly positively associated with mental health through organized religiosity and indirectly negatively associated with physical and mental health through non-organizational religiosity. Being Hispanic was directly associated with worse self-rated health but was indirectly positively associated with mental health through organizational religiosity.

CONCLUSION: The role of race/ethnicity in the relationship between religiosity and health is complex, but the findings presented in this paper offer insights into the nature of these associations.