Impact of Religious Participation and Spirituality on the Health of Nigerian Older People: an online survey

Abstract

Africa, especially Nigeria, is reported to have high religious participation among her growing proportion of older people, yet few works are found in the literature on the impact of religiosity, or spirituality, on the health of the older people in Africa. Thus, this study explored the impact of religious participation and spirituality on the health or well-being of older Christians in Nigerian. A total of 103 Nigerian older people aged 65 years and above participated in this cross-sectional survey by responding to a researcher-administered questionnaire on the topics of religiosity, spirituality, and health status. The findings of this study demonstrated a significant correlation between the level of religious participation, the level of spirituality and psychological health, and the general well-being of older people, especially those aged 60–70 years. We conclude that religious participation and the level of spirituality of older people have an impact on their psychological health domain.