COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Members of African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) congregations in South Carolina will be sweating to the gospel in a three-year exercise project funded by a $12.6 million grant.
The Medical University of South Carolina and University of South Carolina's school of public health will use the grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to promote physical activity in the state's 609 AME churches, according to The Associated Press.
The program includes "praise aerobics" to the accompaniment of gospel music tapes, walking clubs, an eight-week course on fitness and seated exercises for older churchgoers.
One person from each participating church will be trained to run local programs, and pastors are asked to address health issues in weekly sermons, according to the AP.
A medical university administrator said 55 percent of black women and 44 percent of black men report little or no physical activity. About 66 percent of blacks are considered overweight by national standards.
