The Institute for Global Health and Development
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/9
Browse
4 results
Search Results
Item Religiosity, dietary habit, intake of fruit and vegetable, and vegetarian status among Seventh-Day Adventists in West Malaysia(Springer, 2016-03-24) Tan, Min Min; Chan, Carina KY; Reidpath, DanielReligion has been shown to be salutary on health, and a possible link between religion and positive health outcomes is diet. Research has shown that religiosity is associated with better diet but most studies were conducted in a multi-denominational context, which might be confounded with theological differences. This study examined the relationship between religiosity and diet within a homogenous group of believers. Data from survey of 574 Seventh-Day Adventists residing in West Malaysia, aged 18–80, were analyzed using multiple regressions. While none of the religious variables were significantly associated with fruit and vegetable intake, a higher level of religiosity was associated with a better dietary habit and vegetarian status. The mixed relationship between religiosity and diet suggest that further research is needed to explore how religion might influence the diet of adherents.Item Does the social gradient remain in the dietary habits of a health-conscious population? A study of Seventh-Day Adventists in West Malaysia(Oxford University Press, 2016-10-13) Tan, Min Min; Chan, Carina KY; Reidpath, DanielBackground Socioeconomic status (SES) is a strong predictor of health, and individuals with higher SES generally have better health than those with lower SES. One of the pathways that SES influences health is through health behaviors, such as dietary intake, and a higher SES has been associated with a better diet. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a social gradient in dietary habits among the Seventh-Day Adventists, a group of conservative Christians, where healthy eating is part of the doctrinal teaching. Methods Data from a survey of 574 Adventists residing in West Malaysia, aged 18–80 years, were analyzed. Dietary habits were measured using the Nutrition subscale of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II. Results Education and income were significantly associated with dietary habits before and after controlling for demographics. There was a gradient of association; a higher level of education and higher income were associated with better dietary habits. However, only education remained significantly associated with dietary habits when the other two socioeconomic variables were included. Employment was not significantly associated with dietary habits before or after controlling for demographic variables and the other two sociodemographic variables. Conclusions This study showed that education is the strongest predictor of healthy diet, and a social gradient in dietary habits still exists even among health-conscious population.Item Religion and mental health among older adults: ethnic differences in Malaysia(Taylor and Francis Group, 2020-08-03) Tan, Min Min; Su, Tin Tin; Ting, Rachel Sing-Kiat; Allotey, Pascale; Reidpath, DanielObjectives Religion and spirituality gain importance as a person ages. Research has shown that religion has a salutary effect on mental health, and it is associated with health differently across ethnic groups. The current study examined ethnic differences in the association between religion and mental health among older adults in a predominantly Muslim population and multicultural setting. Methods Data of 7068 participants (4418 Malays, 2080 Chinese and 570 Indians) aged ≥55 years that were collected as part of the community health survey conducted in 2013 in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) were analyzed using bivariate and multiple regressions. Analyses were stratified by ethnicity. Results The importance of having an enriched religious/spiritual life was associated with higher scores of depression, anxiety and stress among Chinese and higher score of depression among Malays, while belief in a higher power was associated with better mental health among Malays, Chinese and Indians. Conclusion The current study showed that there were ethnic variations in the associations between religion and mental health, and the associations depended on the religious variable included in the analysis. The findings of this study showed that religion could be another potential channel to improve mental health among older adults by accommodating and understanding their religious beliefs.Item Religiousness and Quality of Life Among Older Adults of Different Ethnic Groups in Malaysia: A Five-Year Follow-up Study(Springer, 2021-07-29) Tan, Min Min; Reidpath, Daniel; Ting, Rachel Sing-Kiat; Allotey, Pascale; Su, Tin TinResearch has shown that religion is associated with a better quality of life (QoL). This study aims to examine ethnic differences in the association between religion and the QoL of older adults in a predominantly Muslim population within a multicultural setting. Two-wave data of 3,810 participants consisting of mostly Muslims and older adults aged ≥ 55 years were collected as part of the community health surveys conducted in 2013 and 2018 in the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO). Both cross-sectional analyses of baseline data and prospective analyses of longitudinal data were conducted. The associations between religiosity and quality of life were mainly positive in the cross-sectional analysis. In the two-wave analysis, religious importance was negatively associated with QoL among the Malays (B = − 1.103, SE B = 0.029, p < .001) and the Chinese (B = − 0.160, SE B = 0.043, p < .001), and a belief in a higher power control was associated with better QoL among the Malays (B = 0.051, SE B = 0.022, p < .005) and poorer QoL domains among the Indians (physical health: B = − 5.412, SE B = 1.382, p < .001; psychological: B = − 3.325, SE B = 1.42, p < .001; social relationship: B = − 5.548, SE B = 1.616, p < .001; environment: B = − 2.586, SE B = 1.288; p < .05). Our study's mixed results suggest that religiosity is positively associated with quality of life in cross-sectional analyses. However, in longitudinal analyses, the results are different. Conclusions with regard to causality based on cross-sectional analyses may be misleading. Health promotion programs should continue to examine the effect of religiousness on health outcomes over time among aging populations across different ethnic groups.