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. 2024 Dec 27.
doi: 10.1007/s10943-024-02225-y. Online ahead of print.

Religion, Religiosity, and Smoking Among Older Adults: Results from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), 2019-2021

Claudio Santiago Dias Jr  1 , Antônio Ignácio de Loyola Filho  2
Affiliations

Religion, Religiosity, and Smoking Among Older Adults: Results from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil), 2019-2021

Claudio Santiago Dias Jr et al. J Relig Health. .

Abstract

Religion and religiosity have long been associated with various health outcomes and behaviors. This study explored the relationship between religion/religiosity and smoking among 8,703 participants enrolled in The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). The logistic regression model was used to test this association, which was then adjusted for sociodemographic factors, health indicators, and alcohol consumption. The results evidenced a negative association between smoking and religious affiliation, as well as the frequency of religious attendance. These results suggest that incorporating religious and spiritual considerations into health care strategies could be beneficial in reducing smoking rates among the elderly population, potentially improving overall health outcomes within this group.

Keywords: Brazil; Health Surveys; Religion; Religiosity; Smoking.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval: The ELSI-Brazil study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Instituto René Rachou (FIOCRUZ Minas)—CAAE 34649814.3.0000.5091. All participants in the research approved the consent form.

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