Body mass index among Seventh-Day Adventists living in Johnson County

In the past, Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs) have enjoyed longer lives with less disease. With the dramatic increase in body mass index among Americans over the past couple decades, little research has been done to examine the effects among SDAs. The purpose of this research was to study the current health status of SDAs living in Johnson County by using body mass index (BMI). Potential variables responsible for the current health status were also explored.

Results indicated a significantly (p=.05) lower BMI among SDAs living in Johnson County than among individuals living in the Texas state health region 2/3, in which Johnson County is located. The mean BMI among the SDA sample, however, was still found to be in the overweight category. BMI was also significantly (p=.01) lower among the vegetarian SDAs in this sample compared to the non-vegetarian SDAs. It is possible that it is the vegetarian lifestyle practiced by many SDAs that is responsible for the lower overall BMI. No correlation was found between the BMI of the sample and any of the following variables: age, years as vegetarian, church attendance or years as a baptized member of the SDA church.