.Religion Linked to Good Health

Religion Linked to Good Health By GARY D. ROBERTSON © The Associated Press RALEIGH (AP) - Seniors who attend church or synagogue regularly might possess the secret of longevity. In another report linking good health with religion, Duke University researchers say seniors with regular church or synagogue attendance are not only healthier but also more likely to live longer than the non-religious. The researchers, studying nearly 4,000 North Carolinians over 64 years old, found that the death rate of the faithful was 28 percent less than those who didn't attend services regularly. Studies in recent years focusing on the spiritual dimension of health have yet to show that religious attendance or spirituality cause physical wholeness. But a mounting body of evidence associates the religious with better mental health, lower blood pressure and other health improvements. The next step, says the study's lead author, Dr. Harold Koenig, is to identify the behavioral and biological mechanisms linking religion to disease prevention and good health. ``These studies do not show that if they are going to church for health reasons, their health will improve,'' Koenig said. ``But if people go to church for religious reasons, they have better health and survive longer.'' The findings released in the July-August medical sciences edition of the Journal of Gerontology examined 3,968 adults in five North Carolina counties from 1986-92. Researchers interviewed participants each year about church attendance, their health, social support and alcohol and tobacco use. The subjects, mostly Christians and Jews, were categorized according to whether they attended religious meetings once weekly. By 1992, 1,177 participants had died. Analyses showed 46 percent fewer of the church attendees died during the period than nonchurchgoers. But the rate dropped to 28 percent when the differing ages, health and social factors and smoking and alcohol use within the sample were taken into account. The respective mortality risks are comparable to those experienced by smokers versus nonsmokers, Koenig said. The risk decline was 35 percent in women and 17 percent in men, according to the study. The report, funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health, is not the first to tie religious practice to a lower risk of dying. A California study of 5,300 people over 28 years generated similar findings, but the survey sample ranged from 21 to 65 years of age. And the sample's mortality was 15 percent, compared with about 30 percent for the Duke study. The health benefits of church attendance may be related to the increased social support found in religious groups, Koenig said. ``Other members are committed to you, praying for you,'' he said. ``You get sick and don't show up for church, and people call you and ask why you weren't there.'' Church attendance also may prompt the faithful to be more conscientious about taking medication. A deep religious faith, while not synonymous with attending church, also helps people cope with tragedy and may relieve stress, Koenig said. Stan Kasl, an epidemiology professor at the Yale University medical school, called the Duke study ``an important contribution'' to firming up the church-good health association. ``We don't have many of these kind of studies,'' said Kasl.