The number of Americans praying about personal health issues has increased 36 percent from 1999 to 2007, according to a new study from the American Psychological Association.  The study, which surveyed over 30,000 adults, found that 49 percent of respondents prayed about health issues in 2007.  Respondents who experienced a significant decline or improvement in health reported more prayer, suggesting that Americans use prayer to cope with changing health circumstances.

A few notable statistics from the study include:

• 43 percent of respondents prayed in 2002; 49 percent prayed in 2007
• 56 percent of women prayed in 2007, compared to 40 percent of men
• Those who engaged in regular exercise were 25 percent less likely to pray than those who didn’t
• 67 percent of African Americans prayed in 2007, compared to 45 percent of Caucasians
• Those with higher incomes were 15 percent less likely to pray about health than those with lower incomes
• African Americans, women and the highly educated were the most likely to pray about health