Black Americans who go to church and pray regularly have better cardiovascular health than Black Americans who are not as religious or have no religious beliefs, according to a new study., used survey responses and health screenings for 2,967 African Americans in and around Jackson, MI.
Those who prayed privately regularly had a 12% increase in the chances of achieving an intermediate or ideal Heart Association metric for diet. Those who said they used"religious coping" were 14% more likely to have good cardiovascular health. People in the study were grouped by their self-reported levels of spirituality, meaning belief in the existence of a supreme being, and how often they went to church services, prayed in private, and used religion to cope with stressful events and the challenges of life.