A new report is out this week by the Gallup folks – Strong Link Between Church Attendance and Smoking.
Smoking in the U.S. is highly correlated with religiosity, with those who never attend church almost three times as likely to smoke as those who attend weekly. This relationship holds even when controlling for demographic characteristics associated with smoking and church attendance.
The researchers believe that it is possible that the relationship is straightforward: Something about frequent church attendance could in turn cause people to be less likely to smoke. My take is that churchgoers, in general, desire and try to care for their bodies.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Read more about this report at Gallup Well Being. Read more blog posts on the Faith and Health Research
