Weighing in on clergy health

By Cynthia Woolever

Among a dozen or more signs of general physical health, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is one of the easiest to capture.  Healthy people typically maintain a body weight that is appropriate for their height.  How do pastors weigh in on this widely accepted measure of health?

A BMI score of 25 or higher suggests that an individual is overweight for their height.  About 72% of American males exceed a BMI score of 25.  Similar numbers of male senior or solo pastors (76%) have BMI scores of 25 or more.  In other words, only 24% of male pastors are normal weight.

The average male pastor weighs 200 pounds, and is 5'10" tall on average (both numbers are medians).

What about female pastors?  First, only 18% of all senior/solo pastors serving in local congregations are women.  Female pastors weigh an average (median) of 168 pounds, and are 5'6" tall on average.  about 37% of the American female population maintains a normal body weight compared with 24% of female pastors.  Unfortunately, 41% of female pastors' BMI score exceeds 30—an indicator of obesity.

Are individuals who struggle to maintain a healthy body weight more likely to enter ministry?  Probably not.  A more likely possibility is that the stress and lifestyle associated with serving in ministry make it difficult to find time for exercise or healthy meal preparation.  In fact, pastors say they spend 50 hours per week (median) in their work related to their congregation.  They also report spending only 2 hours per week, on average, exercising.  One in five reveal that they do not regularly take a day off each week.

As the table below shows, the BMI of pastors serving in local congregations has not changed much in the past eight years.  However, it is alarming that one in three pastors is obese (those with BMI scores 30 or more).  National estimates of obesity rates in the U.S. adult population also fall in a similar range—from 27% to 34%.  The incidence of obesity increases as physical activity decreases, and as sugary, fatty, salty, processed food consumption increases.  Obesity is associated with other health risk factors such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and elevated levels of total cholesterol.  And both of these are linked to an increased risk for heart disease.

 
Note: Key leaders who participated in the U.S. Congregational Life Survey self-reported their height and weight.  Previous national studies where participants self-report show that males tend to overestimate their height, while females tend to underestimate their weight.  Another study involving subjects who self-reported their height and weight found that 26.7% of the adult population is obese.  In contrast, in a study where research staff measured and weighed subjects, 33.9% of the adult population fit the obese category.

Interested in gauging your own fitness using the BMI?  Go to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health website, to use their easy BMI calculator.