Research on Religion and Aging among Black Americans and Mexican Americans: The Impact of the National Institute on Aging

For 50 years, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) has supported and promoted research on religious involvement among older adult populations. This article discusses the ways that NIA funding has 1) broadened our understanding of how religious involvement is conceptualized and measured; 2) explored the important role of social networks and interactions within religious communities in relation to congregants' health; 3) supported research on national samples of the U.S. population to explore demographic variability in religious practices and beliefs, as well as their social correlates; and 4) examined health-relevant frameworks and topics in relation to religion's association with physical and mental health and well-being. The article focuses on research on African Americans and Mexican Americans as well as work that compares these populations to non-Latino Whites and Black Caribbeans. In this article, we provide an overview of selected research topics in the area of religion and aging, including Conceptualization and Measurement of Religious Participation; Religion and Mental Health; Religion and Physical Health; Church-Based Informal Support; Church Support and Mental and Physical Health; Religious Coping, and the Use of Clergy for Serious Problems. Scholarship and research supported by the NIA have fundamentally contributed to a deepening understanding of why and how religion matters for the health and social well-being of African American, Black Caribbean, and Mexican American older adults.