The latest in a long line of studies, now numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands, shows that church attendance is good for your health.
Published in May by researchers from Vanderbilt University, the study found that middle-aged adults who attended religious services at least once in the past year were half as likely to die prematurely as those who didn’t.
Using data from a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study’s researchers examined 10 biological stress markers among 5,449 men and women aged 46 to 65.
They then compared those markers with respondents’ self-reported religious service attendance and found a correlation between religious service attendance, lower stress and longevity.
The study adds to mounting scientific findings on the subject.
A far larger study, of 74,534 women, published last year found that attending a religious service more than once per week was associated with 33 percent lower mortality compared with women who never attended religious services.
A documentary probing recent findings similar to these aired on many PBS stations Friday and Saturday (July 7 and 8) — another sign of growing awareness of these studies’ significance, especially for older adults.
But even as the studies pile up and the literature appears close to conclusive, many questions about the association between religious service attendance and health have yet to be answered.
For one, people attend religious services for all kinds of reasons. What is it about services that might impart better health? The prayers? The social connections? The coffee and cookies?
And does religious attendance account for longevity, or something else? Could it be that people who attend church, synagogue or mosque happen to lead healthier lifestyles?
Maybe they are on the whole predisposed to eat well, exercise regularly, engage in safe sex and drink alcohol in moderation?
How about people who bond over shared interests — say, knitting or poker, or devoted volunteers in literacy centers, or animal rescues?
Has anyone studied whether these group members have lower mortality rates? Continue reading
Sources
- Crux article by Yonat Shimron of Catholic News Service / Reuters
- Image: Conservative Country
