title: Religiosity as a predictor of mortality: A retrospective cohort study in 1519 rural citizens in Greece.
abstract: Investigating the role of religiosity in mortality.
  
  
  
  A retrospective cohort study (mean follow-up period 131.2 ± 30.8 months) in 1519 rural citizens in Greece (57.1% women, mean age 56.9 ± 20.4 years).
  
  
  
  Measurements included education, disease status, body mass index, lifestyle, sleep-quality and self-rated health (SRH). Religiosity was assessed as composite score of praying and church attendance. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
  
  
  
  A total of 293 deaths were recorded, 59.2% of which had occurred due to cardiovascular diseases, followed by cancer diseases (17%). All-cause mortality was found increased for older people (aHR: 1.10, 95%CI: 1.08-1.11, p < .0001), for males (aHR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.14-1.83, p = .002), for people reporting good SRH (aHR: .66, 95%CI: .51-.87, p = .003). Moreover, with increasing age the practice of regular exercise decreases all-causes mortality by approximately 3.5% by each year. Participants in the moderate category of religiosity were found to have decreased risk for all-cause mortality (aHR: .61, 95%CI: .46-.83, p = .001) compared to those in the low religiosity category. Cardiovascular mortality was also significantly associated with SRH and religiosity.
  
  
  
  Religiosity predicts mortality, in a rural population in Greece. Deciphering the mediators of religiosity and mortality relationship could facilitate future health policies.
authors.affiliation: a Postgraduate Course Stress Science and Health Promotion, School of Medicine , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Darviri
authors.affiliation: a Postgraduate Course Stress Science and Health Promotion, School of Medicine , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Artemios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Artemiadis
authors.affiliation: a Postgraduate Course Stress Science and Health Promotion, School of Medicine , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Xanthi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tigani
authors.affiliation: a Postgraduate Course Stress Science and Health Promotion, School of Medicine , National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece , Athens , Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Darvyri
authors.affiliation: b Department of Fisheries & Aquaculture Technology , Technological Educational Institute of Western Greece , Messolonghi , Greece.
authors.forename: Charalambos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gnardellis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D012067:Religion; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Greece; cohort-study; mortality; religiosity; rural population