Jewish World Review Feb. 15, 2001 / 22 Shevat, 5761
Lee Bowman
While numerous studies have linked going to such services with
improved odds for living longer, it's been uncertain whether
congregations attract people who already smoke and drink less and
are more physically active, or if attending services somehow helps
promote those behaviors.
"We found that attenders did not all start off with such good
behaviors. To some extent, their good health behaviors occurred in
conjunction with their attendance,'' said William Strawbridge. He's a
researcher at the Human Population Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.,
and lead author of the report in the February issue of the Annals of
Behavioral Medicine, out Wednesday.
Other studies, including an analysis of past research that was
published last summer, indicate that it is public worship - not
personal religious involvement - that is most important in predicting
mortality.
For the latest study, backed by the National Institute on Aging and
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Strawbridge and
his colleagues looked at health surveys on more than 2,600 people
going back nearly 30 years to track both their health behavior and
church attendance over the years.
"Individuals who regularly attended religious services were more
likely to become more physically active, quit smoking, become less
depressed, increase social relationships and initiate and maintain
stable marriages,'' Strawbridge said.
And, as with other studies, the researchers found that women who
frequently attended houses of worship were more
likely than male congregants to improve their health habits and
their mental health.
Other studies have found similar effects. For instance, a 1998 study
in Los Angeles found that women who were church members were
likelier to get regular breast cancer screening than neighbors who
didn't regularly go to church.
Strawbridge said the surveys still don't make it clear just how
religious attendance helps increase survival or improve health
habits. "But these mechanisms are worth understanding and
studying in more detail, since they could help with the design of
health promotion strategies.''
One experiment several years ago in a group of black North
Carolina churches found that a church-based, scripture-backed
nutrition education effort had a positive effect on the number of
servings of fruits and vegetables members were eating on a daily
basis.
"It's a given that in religious organizations, people find new sources
of social support that tends to make people healthier,'' said Michael
McCullough, a researcher with the National Institute for Healthcare
Research, a Maryland think tank devoted to the study of religion
and medicine.
Strawbridge said that attending worship may also offer attendees a
sense of coherence or perceived control over their lives. Or,
organized religion may expose members to rules that discourage
substance abuse and emphasize respect for the body.
On the Net:
http://www.nihr.org - National Institute for Healthcare Research
http://www.sbmweb.org - Society of Behavioral Medicine
Attending services impacts more than soul, studies find
http://www.jewishworldreview.com ---
PEOPLE who regularly attend religious services are likelier to pick up
and maintain healthy habits compared with less dedicated
attendees, a new study shows.
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