Easter Sunday is the one Sunday that everyone comes to church to get the “word.” In some churches, that word is “healthy.”
Many pastors and preachers in African-American churches have created health care programs and ministries. As they preach, they include information about cancer, diabetes, obesity and other health issues of the day.
“As a minister and ministry executive, it is imperative to reach more people with every opportunity and ask them to talk to their loved ones about health issues,” said Katherine Bates, 62, a retired nurse in Indianapolis. “I noticed that over the past two years or so, more churches are hosting and conducting health fairs.”
Obesity has long been an issue in the African-American community. Being obese or overweight can cause many health complications, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and strokes. Being obese also increases the risk of getting many types of cancer. People can checked their body mass index to find out whether they are overweight by visiting www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, between 2005-2008, 71 percent of African-American men and 78 percent of women were overweight or obese. In Indiana, 68.3 percent of African-American adults were overweight or obese in 2009, the most recent year for which figures are available.
Better eating and more exercise have become the focus of health messages for many churches across the country, including some of the 139 churches in the Indianapolis area.
The trend seems to be catching on. In 2006, 44 percent of African-Americans in the U.S. were given advice on eating healthier, according to a national health care report conducted by the Office of Minority Health.
Churches can get help from outside programs. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP.org) has a health program focusing on childhood obesity. The American Cancer Society also offers guidelines and tips on nutrition and exercise at www.cancer.org. Also, health materials from the “Body and Soul” program for churches can be downloaded free at http://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/productDownloads.do?programId=257161
Linda Ellis, Indianapolis correspondent for the Ozioma News Service, contributed to this story.
