Going to church or the mosque can help reduce your blood pressure.

A University of York study have found faith institutions can help people by raising awareness of hypertension and the need to maintain healthy blood pressure.

High blood pressure can lead to a range of health conditions such as heart disease, heart attack, and strokes.

The study, published in PLOS Global Public Health, found that faith institutions play a variety of roles, including effective messaging around good cardiovascular health, promoting a healthy lifestyle, with regular blood pressure checks.

York researchers analysed 24 studies that featured 39,540 individuals, the majority from the US.

Dr Abayomi Sanusi, from the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York, said: “Faith institutions offer low-cost, effective and sustainable solution to helping people maintain their blood pressure. Promoting health through faith institutions, holds unrealised potential to support and supplement healthcare systems, particularly in low-income, religious or underserved communities.” 

Dr Su Golder, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Health Sciences, said: “Although cultural and religious influences on human behaviour vary across communities globally, this study provides evidence of the role that faith institutions have and the benefits of cardiovascular public health intervention.” 

“These are potentially useful for the construction of community-based, long-term, meaningful, sustainable, and perhaps permanent interventions and solutions.”