Assessing The Influence Of Religious Involvement On Health Behaviors Among Gender And Racial/ethnic Groups

DEDICATION Thank God, from whom all blessings flow! I dedicate this accomplishment to my grandmother, Clara " Big ma " Johnson, it was through her examples of faith, strength, endurance, and humbleness, that I am the person I am today. May your soul forever rest in peace. I also dedicate this to my baby sister, La Tasha, whose bubbly spirit, sense of pride, and unselfish compliments, is truly missed. To my husband, Darrin Sr., I thank you for all that you have done to keep the household functioning. you for your love and support. To the new addition to our family, Dave III, your arrival could not have come at a better time. I would be remiss not to say " Thanks " to those of you who have been so supportive throughout this journey. Harriette, Keydron, and Omari, thank you for being such great friends and for sharing all of the important things about sociology and the professoriate that has allowed me to gain the knowledge and experience I have today. Paula, thanks for helping me make it through prelims, your organization and support has been invaluable to my success. Sherida, thanks for being a lifelong friend. God was truly strategic in placing so many wonderful people in my life. To my family, church family, and many other friends, Thanks! ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Hankin, your unyielding patience and guidance has been invaluable to my success. special " thanks " to Dr. Merolla – for your ceaseless efforts in helping me with statistics, I could never thank you enough for all that you have done. Dr. Dunbar and Dr. Zafar, I would not have been able to return to college had it not been for your guidance and financial support. To Carole Barduca – the support you provided during my moment of apprehension is irreplaceable – Thanks, for being there! To all of my coworkers at the Graduate School, you are the greatest! I could not envision working with a better group of people – Thanks for creating a work environment that was conductive to my completion and success. A growing body of literature has focused on the relationship between religious studies have shown that religious involvement is associated with positive mental health (Ellison 1996), and decreased risk of mortality (Musick et al., 2004). While these outcomes show support on behalf of the salubrious effects of religiosity 1 on many …