Religion and Body Weight
Weight Loss Study Aim
Relationships between religion and body weight were examined in a US national
sample.
Weight Loss Study Methods
Data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States
(MIDUS), collected through telephone and postal questionnaires, were analyzed
for 3032 adults aged 25-74.
Weight Loss Study Results
Religious denomination was significantly related to higher body weight
in men after accounting for sociodemographic controls. Conservative Protestant
men had a 1.1±0.45 higher body mass index (BMI) than those reporting
no religious affiliation. Other religion variables that initially had
significant relationships with greater body weight before adjusting for
control variables became nonsignificant after smoking was controlled.
No significant relationships between religion and body weight were present
in women.
Weight Loss Study Conclusion
Religious denomination was related to body weight in men. Other dimensions
of religiosity showing a relationship with higher BMI appeared to be because
of the lower rates of smoking among more religious individuals.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(2003)
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