Religious attendance: more cost-effective than lipitor?

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Economics

Background:

• A meta-analysis indicated a small but significant link between weekly religious attendance and longevity.
• The practical implications of this association for public health remain debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the additional life-years gained from weekly religious attendance.
• To compare the life extension benefits and cost-effectiveness of religious attendance with physical exercise and statin medications.

Main Methods:

• Age-specific mortality rates were adjusted using published odds ratios.
• Modeled additional life-years attributable to religious attendance, exercise, and statins.
• Estimated the cost per life-year gained for each intervention.

Main Results:

• Weekly religious attendance was associated with 2–3 additional life-years.
• Physical exercise yielded 3–5 life-years, and statins 2.5–3.5 life-years.
• Cost-effectiveness: exercise ($2k–$6k/year), religious attendance ($3k–$10k/year), and statins ($4k–$14k/year).

Conclusions:

• The health benefits of regular religious attendance are comparable to established therapies.
• Religious attendance may be more cost-effective than statins for increasing lifespan.
• Further high-quality research is needed to explore religion's impact on health and its potential role in medical practice.