title: Religion and health in Mexican Americans.
abstract: The relationship between religion and health was investigated using data from a three-generation study of mexican Americans. Two measures of religion-religious institution attendance and self-rated religiosity-were correlated with a number of functional health indicators, including self-rated health, activity restriction owing to health, bed disability days, physician utilization, worry over health, a physical symptoms scale, and a depression scale. In addition, prevalence rates were calculated for several major chronic diseases. Many significant associations obtained, as well as an inverse relationship between self-rated religiosity and hypertension. These findings are interpreted in light of the literature on religious attendance and health and on religion and aging.
authors.affiliation: Division of Sociomedical Sciences, Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Galveston, USA.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Markides