title: Spirituality, religion, social support and health among older Australian adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the impact of perceived importance of spirituality or religion (ISR) and religious service attendance (RSA) on health and well-being in older Australians.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey of 752 community-dwelling men and women aged 55-85 years from the Hunter Region, New South Wales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 51% of participants felt spirituality or religion was important in their lives and 24% attended religious services at least 2-3 times a month. In univariate regression analyses, ISR and RSA were associated with increased levels of social support (P < 0.001). However, ISR was also associated with more comorbidities (incidence-rate ratio= 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.33). There were no statistically significant associations between ISR or RSA and other measures such as mental and physical health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spirituality and religious involvement have a beneficial impact on older Australians' perceptions of social support, and may enable individuals to better cope with the presence of multiple comorbidities later in life.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Gender, Health and Ageing, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. annette.moxey@newcastle.edu.au
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moxey
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McEvoy
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bowe
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Attia
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009517:New South Wales; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality