Background: Religiosity, encompassing spirituality and religious practices, is associated with reduced disease incidence among individuals of low socioeconomic status and who self-identify as Black. We hypothesized that religiosity associates with reduced end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk among Black but not White adults of low socioeconomic status.
Design: Cox models of religiosity and ESKD risk in 76,443 adults.
Results: Black adults reporting high spirituality had reduced ESKD risk after adjusting for demographic characteristics [Hazard Ratio (HR) .82 (95% Confidence Interval (CI)) (.69-.98)], depressive symptoms, social support, and tobacco use [HR .81 (CI .68-.96)]. When clinical covariates were added, associations between spirituality and ESKD were slightly attenuated and lost significance [HR .85 (CI .68-1.06)]. Associations were not demonstrated among White adults.
Conclusions: Spirituality associates with reduced ESKD risk among Black adults of low socioeconomic status independent of demographic, psychosocial, and behavioral characteristics. Effect modification by race was not statistically significant.