High blood pressure (hypertension) is associated with social and cultural issues and affects millions of American adults. High blood pressure is defined as systolic blood pressure of 140 or higher and/or diastolic blood pressure of 90 or higher. High blood pressure is known to increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Small studies have suggested that there may be a link between religious observance and lower blood pressure. Now a large, nationwide study reports that religion and spirituality may lower the risk of high blood pressure.
The study, published in Psychosomatic Medicine, investigated the relationship of religious service attendance and blood pressure level. Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta reviewed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), including 14,475 men and women, aged 20 years and older. Questionnaires obtained from the participants asked the participants about their religious services attendance and blood pressure history. Blood pressure measurements were also obtained from the participants.
The researchers found that 40 percent of the participants attended religious services once a week or more, 28 percent attended religious services less than once a week, and 33 percent never attended religious services. The prevalence of high blood pressure was lowest in participants who attended religious services more than weekly. Furthermore, participants who attended religious services more than weekly had systolic blood pressure levels 3.03 mm Hg lower than those who never attended. Those who attended religious services weekly had systolic blood pressure levels 1.46 mm Hg lower than those never attending
"Compared with never attending, attendance at religious services weekly or more than weekly was associated with somewhat lower adjusted hypertension prevalence and blood pressure in a large national survey," the study authors write.
REFERENCES:
1. Gillum RF and Ingram DD. Frequency of attendance at religious services, hypertension, and blood pressure: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Psychosom Med 2006 May-Jun;68(3):382-5.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on November 8, 2006 02:46 PM
