Recognition, reinforcement of spirituality may boost CV health in Black adults
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Higher levels of religious attendance, private prayer and spirituality were associated with intermediate or ideal CV health metrics across multiple indicators of the American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 among Black adults, data show.
“Health professionals and researchers should acknowledge the importance of religious and spiritual influences in the lives of African Americans — who tend to be highly religious,” LaPrincess C. Brewer, MD, MPH, a preventive cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said in a press release. “With religious and spiritual beliefs factored into our approaches, we may make major breakthroughs in fostering the relationship between patients and physicians and between community members and scientists to build trust and sociocultural understanding of this population.”
In a cross-sectional study, Brewer and colleagues analyzed data from 2,967 Black adults participating in the prospective Jackson Heart Study with complete data on each Life’s Simple 7 component (mean age, 54 years; 66% women). Participants completed religiosity/spirituality questionnaires as part of a larger, self-administered survey.
Researchers assessed three domains of religiosity: religious attendance, private prayer and religious coping, defined as the use of religious beliefs or practices in adapting to difficult life situations and stressful events. Spirituality was measured with the short version of the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES); higher scores on the total, theistic and nontheistic DSES represent more reported daily spiritual experiences. The primary outcome was CV health as measured by the AHA Life’s Simple 7 individual components and composite score.
The findings were published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Researchers found that higher religious attendance was associated with increased likelihood of achieving intermediate or ideal (vs. poor) levels of physical activity (OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26), diet (OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 1.01-1.2), smoking (OR = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.34-1.68), BP (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.24) and Life’s Simple 7 composite score (OR = 1.15; 95% CI, 1.06-1.26).
Private prayer was associated with increased odds for achieving intermediate or ideal levels for diet (OR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.03-1.22) and smoking (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.12-1.39).
Religious coping was associated with increased odds for achieving intermediate or ideal levels of physical activity (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.28), diet (OR = 1.1; 95% CI, 1.01-1.2), smoking (OR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.18-1.48) and Life’s Simple 7 composite score (OR = 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.24). Results persisted after adjustment for chronic stress and social network; there were no associations between religiosity measures and BMI, cholesterol or glucose.
Total spirituality was associated with increased odds of achieving intermediate or ideal levels of physical activity (OR = 1.11; 95% CI, 1.02-1.21) and smoking (OR = 1.36; 95% CI, 1.21-1.53), with results persisting after adjustment for chronic stress and social network.
“I was slightly surprised by the findings that multiple dimensions of religiosity and spirituality were associated with improved cardiovascular health across multiple health behaviors that are extremely challenging to change, such as diet, physical activity and smoking,” Brewer said in the release. “Our findings highlight the substantial role that culturally tailored health promotion initiatives and recommendations for lifestyle change may play in advancing health equity. The cultural relevance of interventions may increase their likelihood of influencing cardiovascular health and also the sustainability and maintenance of healthy lifestyle changes.
“This is especially important for socioeconomically disenfranchised communities faced with multiple challenges and stressors,” Brewer said in the release. “Religiosity and spirituality may serve as a buffer to stress and have therapeutic purposes or support self-empowerment to practice healthy behaviors and seek preventive health services.”
As Healio previously reported, the enhanced Life’s Essential 8 measurement tool — formerly known as Life’s Simple 7 — was revamped to allow improved means for measuring and monitoring CV health to achieve greater health equity, and now includes the entire life course. Metrics include health behaviors like diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure and sleep, and health factors like body weight, lipids, blood glucose and BP.
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