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“Does Religious Service Attendance Modify the Relationship between Everyday Discrimination and Risk of Obesity? Results from the Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health”

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Abstract

This study examined the association of everyday discrimination with risk of obesity and the potential modifying effect of religious service attendance. Participants included Black, South Asian, and white women in three cohort studies that belong to the Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health. Logistic regression models estimated odds of obesity classification (BMI ≥ 30) relative to experiences of everyday discrimination. In initial pooled analyses, high levels of discrimination were related to increased odds of obesity. Race-specific analyses revealed marginal associations for white and South Asian women. Among Black women, high levels of discrimination and religious service attendance were both associated with higher odds of obesity. However, among women who attended religious services frequently, higher levels of everyday discrimination were associated with slightly lower odds of obesity. These findings underline the complex association between obesity and religion/spirituality, suggesting that higher levels of discrimination may uniquely activate religious resources or coping strategies. Findings highlight the need for additional studies to examine the impact of everyday discrimination on risk of obesity across racial/ethnic communities and how religious practices or coping strategies might affect these dynamics.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of the study are not available publicly but may be available by request and with consent of the respective owners of the data: The Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health; Black Women’s Health Study; The MASALA Study; and Nurses’ Health Study II.

Code Availability

Data analysis was performed using SAS 9.4. Questions concerning code used in the analysis of this study should be directed to the first author. Code requests may be subject to the approval of the participating owners of the data: the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health; Black Women’s Health Study; The MASALA Study; and Nurses’ Health Study II.

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Funding

This analysis was supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (grant #59607). The Black Women’s Health Study was supported by NIH grants UM1CA164974, U01CA164974, and R01CA058420. The MASALA Study was supported by NIH grants 1R01HL093009, 2R01HL093009, R01HL120725, UL1RR024131, UL1TR001872, and P30DK098722. The Nurses’ Health Study II was supported by NIH grants U01 CA176726 and R01 CA163451. The funders had no role in the design of this study, interpretation of the data, or writing of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachussetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    James Clark Davidson, Blake Victor Kent, Erica T. Warner & Alexandra E. Shields

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    James Clark Davidson, Blake Victor Kent, Erica T. Warner, A. Heather Eliassen & Alexandra E. Shields

  3. Westmont College, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    James Clark Davidson & Blake Victor Kent

  4. Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Yvette C. Cozier

  5. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Yvette C. Cozier

  6. University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Alka M. Kanaya

  7. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    A. Heather Eliassen & David R. Williams

  8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    A. Heather Eliassen

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  1. James Clark Davidson
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  2. Blake Victor Kent
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  4. Alka M. Kanaya
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Contributions

James Clark Davidson, Blake Victor Kent, Yvette C. Cozier, Alka M. Kanaya, Erica T. Warner, A. Heather Eliassen, David R. Williams, and Alexandra E. Shields contributed to this study. James Clark Davidson, Blake Victor Kent, Erica T. Warner, David R. Williams, and Alexandra E. Shields strongly contributed to the study design and conception. Data analysis and first draft of the paper was written by James Clark Davidson. Blake Victor Kent provided significant support in developing the discussion and in the revision process. All authors commented on previous drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Clark Davidson.

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Ethics Approval

This study analyzes data collected by the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health; The Black Women’s Health Study; The MASALA Study; and Nurses’ Health Study II, and was approved by their respective oversight bodies. Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute confirms no additional ethical approval is required.

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Informed Consent was obtained from all participants.

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Davidson, J.C., Kent, B.V., Cozier, Y.C. et al. “Does Religious Service Attendance Modify the Relationship between Everyday Discrimination and Risk of Obesity? Results from the Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health”. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01765-5

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