If you’re trying to reduce your risk of heart disease, you might want to consider going to church: Researchers are reporting that a healthy lifestyle intervention program conducted at a group of black churches appears to lower blood pressure more effectively than a health education program alone.
The FAITH study (Faith-Based Approaches in the Treatment of Hypertension) is the first and largest community-based study to evaluate the effect of a comprehensive lifestyle intervention, including a healthier diet and increased exercise, on blood pressure reduction among African-Americans in a group of churches. Participants included 343 black men and women from 32 churches in New York City. After 6 months, those who underwent the more intensive lifestyle intervention program conducted by trained church members showed a significantly greater reduction in systolic blood pressure (5 millimeters of mercury lower) compared to the group receiving health education alone. Systolic blood pressure is the top number in the pressure reading.
The study, funded by NHLBI, appears in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.