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Religiosity Is Associated with Reduced Risk of All-Cause and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality among Jewish Men

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  • Sigal Eilat-Adar

    (Healthy and Active Lifestyle Education, Academic College at Wingate, Netanya 4290200, Israel
    Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel)

  • Devora Hellerstein

    (School of Education, Academic College at Wingate, Netanya 4290200, Israel)

  • Uri Goldbourt

    (Healthy and Active Lifestyle Education, Academic College at Wingate, Netanya 4290200, Israel
    Sackler Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel)

Abstract

Previous studies have found an inverse association between religiosity and mortality. However, most of these studies were carried out with Christian participants. This longitudinal study aimed to determine whether a composite variable based on self-reported religious education and religious practices is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and all-cause mortality in 9237 Jewish men aged 40–65 years at baseline, over a 32-year follow-up. Jewish men were characterized by their degree of religiosity, from the Ultra-Orthodox (“Haredim”)—the strictest observers of the Jewish religious rules, and in descending order: religious, traditional, secular, and agnostic. Demographic and physical assessments were made in 1963 with a 32-year follow-up. The results indicate that Haredim participants, in comparison to the agnostic participants, had lower CHD mortality. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI)—adjusted by age, cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, diabetes, socioeconomic status, BMI, and cholesterol, was: [HR = 0.68 (95% CI 0.58,0.80)] for Haredim; [HR = 0.82 (95% CI 0.69,0.96)] for religious; [HR = 0.85 (95% CI 0.73–1.00)] for traditional; and [HR = 0.92 (95% CI 0.79–01.06) for secular, respectively ( p for trend = 0.001). The same pattern was observed for total mortality. This study shows an association between religious practice among men and a decreased rate of CHD and total mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Sigal Eilat-Adar & Devora Hellerstein & Uri Goldbourt, 2022. "Religiosity Is Associated with Reduced Risk of All-Cause and Coronary Heart Disease Mortality among Jewish Men," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-7, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:19:p:12607-:d:932092
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Neal Krause, 2006. "Church-Based Social Support and Mortality," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 61(3), pages 140-146.
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