FIGURE 10.9 Predictors of longer life: Regular religious attendance, frequent exercise, and not smoking One 28-year study followed more then 5200 adults (Oman et al., 2002; Strawbridge et al., 1997, 1999). After adjusting for age and education, the researchers found that religious attendance, regular exercise, and not smoking all predicted a lowered risk of death in any given year. Women attending weekly religious services, for example, were only 54 percent as likely to die in a typical study year as were nonattenders.