Salmoirago-Blotcher et al. in this issue examined whether private religious activities (PRA) predict adverse cardiovascular events (CVE) using data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Of the 161,808 women aged 50 to 79 years recruited in 1994 to 1998 into the WHI study, 93,676 women unwilling or ineligible to participate in the clinical trials were enrolled into a cohort study. Those who completed follow-up in 2005 and had no self-reported CVE through 2005 were recruited into the WHI extension study with follow-up through 2010. The final sample for this current analysis was 43,708 (27% of original sample). PRA were assessed 5 years after baseline, and average follow-up was 7 years. Results indicated a small (16%) increased risk of CVE for those who engaged in daily PRA compared with those never doing so (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.30), controlling for demographics, lifestyle, risk factors, and psychosocial characteristics.
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