Do people who attend church live longer?

Jet, Nov 24, 1997

Sunday church services historically have been a big part of Black culture. At some point in most people's lives, they have stepped through church doors to the sound of jamming gospel music or they have been drawn in by the serene, sweet spirit that envelops other churches.

Now a Duke University Medical Center study has found that people who attend such services on a regular basis seem to have healthier immune systems than those who don't attend church regularly. These findings may lead one to wonder: Do People Who Attend Church Really Live Longer?

"I definitely think church attendance and a reverence for God aid in persons living longer and fuller lives," says Rev. Chestina Mitchell Archibald, pastor of Braden United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN. "As scripture states in Proverbs 3:16: Wisdom offers you long life, as well as wealth and honor. We all know that wisdom comes only from God."

She also says that "church gives one a certain peace and often one's physical health is closely related to one's mental state." Archibald, who served as chaplain at Fisk University for 10 years, explains that the spirit and the mind are so close that "at some point they become intertwined. Because the spirit and mind are so intertwined, in that way our mind effects our body."

She points out that "you are in life where your own thoughts have brought you. When you change the thoughts about yourself, you will change, and when you change the thoughts about the world in which you live, the world in which you live will change. Hopefully, the church will help persons have pleasant thoughts, thus creating for themselves a more beautiful world."

Dr. Nathaniel H. Murdock, president of the National Medical Association, agrees that people who attend church probably live healthier, longer lives. He says that motivation plays a big part in staying healthy and living longer.

"People who go to church are probably more motivated and educated about the importance of a healthy lifestyle," Murdock contends.

"People who are motivated will do things to help themselves; they will read magazines to learn about healthy lifestyles, and they will participate in their own healthcare.

"People who go to church probably also go to see their physicians on a regular basis."

Dr. Bruce Wade, associate professor of sociology at Spelman College in Atlanta, says several studies have shown that "people who are better connected to social institutions such as religion have better outcomes."

However, he cautions about attributing the success to church itself.

"Spirituality, however it is expressed, does have positive health values," Wade says. Spirituality could be expressed in different ways."

He continues, "If you compare people who are spiritual (with those who are not), they (spiritual) tend to have healthier lifestyles....

"I think some of this cosmic connection with God or creator or whatever term you want to use gives us a sense of confidence, coping skills... relieves stress, anxiety and helps us answer unanswered questions in our lives."

Wade says that it is positive that medical professionals, such as those who conducted the study, are beginning to recognize the value of cultural traditions and techniques such as prayer. "Partnerships between the medical community and the spiritual community can be productive," he states.

Dr. Veronica Scott, director of the Center on Aging and associate professor of medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, says it is difficult to attribute church-going to living healthier, longer lives because "people go to church for different reasons."

She explains that "some go just for singing, to socialize, some people go to raise Cain...A lot of those same kinds of reasons can be found outside of the church. Some people can be able to get that in other places."

Scott says that the study does confirm "the value of life satisfaction and happiness," which may lead to healthier and longer lives.

"If we all have a sense of well-being, feel happier about what we are doing and are satisfied with life, whether that means attending church or not, that leads to living longer."