Jogging for Jesus Keeps Faithful Fit

(CBS) Jogging for Jesus?

Sounds funny, but for researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, who are trying to motivate some of God's least active flock, it's serious science.

And they got some serious results.

In a randomized, controlled study of African American women, a group that is one of the least physically active in the United States, doctors were able to cajole them into walking an additional three miles per week when they combined exercise promotion with bible study.

The control group, which received lectures on topics such as memory loss and identity theft, got more active also, but didn't do nearly as well.

The 62 participants of the "Sisters in Motion" program came from three churches in Los Angeles.

What's the logic behind the study?

"Health promotion efforts for African-Americans must take advantage of existing community strengths to be sustained and be successful, such as members of the same church having a sense of communal identity,"  lead researcher Dr. O. Kenrik Duru said in a statement.

Amen. Now lets keep the faith.

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