Baptists the fattest of the fat?
- Feb 21, 2008 - comment
A recent study from Purdue University professor of sociology Ken Ferraro reveals that of all believers, Baptists are the most likely to be obese.
“This cause could be from less healthy eating patterns in the South, home to many Baptists,” Ferraro says. “But we controlled for residency and still Baptist women were more likely to be obese. This trend could be related to the strong emphasis for Baptists to avoid alcohol and tobacco, and, as a result, many of them indulge in overeating instead. More research is needed to learn how denominations view overeating and obesity.”
Obesity cases increased from 24 percent to 30 percent from 1986-94 among Baptists, Ferraro said.
In our looks-obsessed society, lots of people think that being overweight is an appearance issue. But being overweight is actually a medical concern because it can seriously affect a person’s health.
The health problems that stem from being overweight go way beyond the ones we usually hear about, such as diabetes and heart disease. Being overweight can also affect a person’s joints, breathing, sleep, mood and energy levels. So being overweight can impact a person’s entire quality of life.
More than just a hindrance to energy levels, confidence and quality of life, obesity is expensive and socially isolating, researchers say. It can cause chronic illnesses, like adult-onset diabetes and heart disease, as well as asthma, sleep apnea, liver disease, depression and reproductive problems.
“There are cultural issues, regionality issues and socialization issues about what people do when they get together,” said Richard Kreider, director of the Baylor University Center for Exercise, Nutrition and Preventative Health Research. “What attracts people to meetings is food. Churches use that to get people to come to things.”
Kreider said, “We tell people not to drink and not to smoke and that they should take care of the temple (body), but we don’t work out. Many leaders inside the pulpit are way overweight. We don’t think about the way it affects our health and the message it sends to our kids.”
He added that the key to fixing that is to develop a different mentality.
“These high-fat meals are saying implicitly, ‘This is how we celebrate,’” Ferraro said. “Instead, religious leaders need to model and encourage physical health as an important part of a person’s spiritual well-being.”
The leaders said another way to stave off obesity is to disguise exercise into something fun, such as softball leagues, church fitness centers and physical group activities. Churches should also be deliberate about providing wholesale food at events and speaking clearly and often from the pulpit about maintaining a healthy weight, they said.
“America is becoming known as a nation of gluttony and obesity, and churches are a feeding ground for this problem,” Ferraro said. “If religious leaders and organizations neglect this issue, they will contribute to an epidemic that will cost the health-care system millions of dollars and reduce the quality of life for many parishioners.”
This article is reprinted from the January 31, 2008, issue of the Baptist Messenger, the newspaper of the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma.