A new study, which followed the health of more than 90,000 older women over an average of more than seven years, found that those who attended church were one-fifth less likely to die during the study than those who did not, The New York Times reported.
The study, which appears in Psychology & Health, looked at women 50 to 79 at 40 locations across the U.S.
"All things being equal, religious people need and use fewer health care services," said Dr. Harold G. Koenig, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who did not participate in the study of women. "They are healthier, more likely to have intact families to care for them and have greater social support."
Koenig will speak at the Dec. 3 Heritage Foundation conference "Religious Practice and Health: What the Research Says," which will feature a roster of top academics.
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— Jennifer Mesko
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