Koenig H G, George L K, Cohen H J, Hays J C, Larson D B, Blazer D G
Center for the Study of Religion/Spirituality and Health, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 1998 Nov;53(6):M426-34. doi: 10.1093/gerona/53a.6.m426.
The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between religious activities and cigarette smoking in community-dwelling older adults.
Cigarette smoking and religious activities were assessed in a probability sample of 3968 persons age 65 years or older participating in the Duke Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (EPESE) survey. Participants were asked if they currently smoked, if they ever smoked, and how many cigarettes per day they smoked. Attendance at religious services, participation in private religious activities (prayer or Bible study), and use of religious media (religious TV or radio) were also assessed. Data were available for Waves I-III of the survey (1986, 1989, and 1992). Analyses were controlled for age, race, sex, education, alcohol use, physical health, and in the longitudinal analyses, smoking status at prior waves.
Cross-sectional analyses revealed that participants who frequently attended religious services were significantly less likely to smoke cigarettes at all three waves. Likewise, elders frequently involved in private religious activity were less likely to smoke (Waves II and III). Total number of pack-years smoked was also inversely related to both attendance at religious services and private religious activities. Watching religious TV or listening to religious radio, on the other hand, was not related to smoking at Waves I and II nor to total pack-years smoked, but was positively related to current smoking at Wave III. Among those who smoked, number of cigarettes smoked was inversely related to frequency of attendance at religious services (Wave I), private religious activities (Wave III), and religious TV/radio (Waves II and III). Retrospective and prospective analyses revealed that religiously active persons were less likely to ever start smoking, not more likely to quit smoking.
Religiously active persons are less likely to smoke cigarettes, and if they do smoke, smoke fewer cigarettes. Given the association between smoking and disease, and the widespread prevalence of both smoking and religious activity, this finding has implications for public health.
本研究的目的是调查社区居住的老年人宗教活动与吸烟之间的关系。
在参与杜克老年人流行病学研究（EPESE）调查的3968名65岁及以上的概率样本中评估吸烟和宗教活动情况。询问参与者他们目前是否吸烟、是否曾经吸烟以及每天吸多少支烟。还评估了参加宗教仪式、参与私人宗教活动（祈祷或圣经学习）以及使用宗教媒体（宗教电视或广播）的情况。调查的第一至三轮（1986年、1989年和1992年）的数据可用。分析中控制了年龄、种族、性别、教育程度、饮酒情况、身体健康状况，在纵向分析中还控制了前一轮的吸烟状况。
横断面分析显示，在所有三轮调查中，经常参加宗教仪式的参与者吸烟的可能性显著更低。同样，经常参与私人宗教活动的老年人吸烟的可能性也更低（第二轮和第三轮）。吸烟包年总数也与参加宗教仪式和私人宗教活动呈负相关。另一方面，观看宗教电视或收听宗教广播在第一轮和第二轮与吸烟无关，与吸烟包年总数也无关，但在第三轮与当前吸烟呈正相关。在吸烟者中，吸烟支数与参加宗教仪式的频率（第一轮）、私人宗教活动（第三轮）以及宗教电视/广播（第二轮和第三轮）呈负相关。回顾性和前瞻性分析显示，宗教活动活跃的人开始吸烟的可能性较小，而戒烟的可能性并不更大。
宗教活动活跃的人吸烟的可能性较小，而且如果他们吸烟，吸烟量也较少。鉴于吸烟与疾病之间的关联，以及吸烟和宗教活动的广泛流行，这一发现对公共卫生具有重要意义。
