A health survey of Seventh-day Adventists shows that although church members have low rates of alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine consumption, they are not getting adequate exercise or eating enough fruits and vegetables. The survey of almost 3,500 church members was conducted at the Adventist World Session in Toronto in mid-2000, and provides a “useful snapshot of the current health practices of Adventists,” says Dr. Allan Handysides, director of health ministries for the Adventist Church worldwide.

“The survey shows that exercise is a problem for us,” says Handysides. “Almost half the respondents exercise less than once a week.” He also notes that 70 percent of church members surveyed are not getting the four to five daily servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by nutritionists.

“We’re not consciously drinking enough water,” adds Handysides, pointing out that 14 percent of respondents reported drinking just one to two glasses of water a day, and less than a third reported drinking more than six glasses of water every day.

Overall, though, Adventists are “doing pretty well,” says Handysides.  He points out that Adventists are mentally healthy, in part because of “good social support.” Fifty percent of survey respondents said they were “very happy,” with an additional 47 percent being “fairly happy.”

Survey results also show that 60 percent of Adventists are getting the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

According to the survey, 30 percent of Adventists are vegetarians, and 37 percent only eat meat once or twice a month. Sixty-four percent rarely or never consume caffeine, with 14 percent having caffeine less than once per month.

Ninety percent of survey respondents have never smoked, 9 percent are ex-smokers and 0.8 percent are current smokers.  Ninety-seven percent of survey respondents rarely or never drank alcohol, with approximately 1 percent having less than one drink a month, and 1 percent having one or two drinks per month.

Ninety-seven percent of respondents attend a religious service at least once a week and 52 percent said “the local church adequately addresses the health concerns of members.”

The survey was taken as a baseline for tracking health issues in the Adventist Church over the next five years. Handysides says another survey will be taken at the 2005 Adventist World Session in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He cautions that although the survey provides useful insights, it does not fully represent the demographic makeup of the Adventist Church worldwide. Approximately 28 percent of survey respondents were from the North American region. One-fourth of the respondents came from the inter-America region while 15 percent came from South America. Sixty percent of survey respondents were married and 37 percent were Adventist employees.