Religion and Spirituality in Lifestyle Medicine

This session is a recorded presentation from ACLM’s LM2024 Annual Conference, featuring leading experts and timely, clinically relevant content in lifestyle medicine.

At its core, lifestyle medicine is holistic, characterized by an emphasis on the whole person in the prevention, treatment, and reversal of disease. Through such a lens, health behavior is seen as a confluence of several factors or dimensions, such as emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, financial, and of interest here, religion/spirituality (R/S), of which increase or decrease probability of healthy lifestyle adoption. This presentation first aims to summarize the decades of research that now support the positive relationship of R/S with physical health, mental health, morbidity, and mortality. Notably, religious service attendance has been found to be associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality, and can hold similar effect sizes on all-cause mortality to those from other important preventative lifestyle prescriptions, including physical activity, tobacco smoking cessation, and consumption of fruits and vegetables. The research evidence is so strong and prevalent, in fact, there has growing interest within lifestyle medicine to increase awareness and further discussion on how to better integrate R/S into lifestyle medicine practice. This presentation provides practical examples and research-based assessments to aid in the implementation of a faith-practice approach that is appropriate to specific needs and personal interests of each lifestyle medicine practitioner, spanning community to clinic, while also stimulating timely, positive discussion to guide the inclusion of R/S in practice and pillars of lifestyle medicine. 

This course expires September 21, 2027 at 11:59 PM PST.  

Target Audience

This course is applicable for the interprofessional healthcare team including physicians, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, physician associates, registered dietitians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, pharmacists, other health professionals working with chronic disease prevention or treatment, certified health coaches, and clinicians in training.

Learning Objectives

  1. Summarize the research on the relationship of R/S with physical health, mental health, morbidity, and mortality. 
  2. Integrate the faith-practice framework into clinical and/or community practice, including faith-placed and faith-based approaches. 
  3. Describe key practical skills to overcome the leading challenges of incorporating R/S into lifestyle medicine practice and prescriptions. 
  4. Stimulate positive discussion toward inclusion of R/S into the practice and pillars of lifestyle medicine. 

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Religion and Spirituality in Lifestyle Medicine (AJLM CME/CE Article Quiz Volume 19, Issue 2)
Decades of research now support the positive relationship of religion/spirituality (R/S) with physical health, mental health, morbidity, and mortality. While lifestyle medicine (LM) practitioners often recognize R/S as important, they can face common challenges of how to integrate R/S into their holistic, patient-centered care. To help, this article presents a faith-practice framework, as a starting point for considering incorporating R/S into LM practice—in light of common concerns and challenges, as a guide for patient-centered care through adjusting lifestyle prescriptions to accommodate individualized R/S beliefs and practices for improved health behavior and outcomes, and as an encouragement to stimulate openness for positive, thoughtful discussion into the future of R/S in LM practice and research.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 AAFP Prescribed

    The AAFP has reviewed Religion and Spirituality in Lifestyle Medicine and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 9/18/2025 to 9/18/2025. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. .

  • 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

  • 1.00 ABLM MOC

    The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 1.00 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.

  • 1.00 ABS Accredited CME

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.

  • 1.00 ACPE Technician

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacy technicians.

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    Rush Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 ANCC

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 nursing contact hour(s).

  • 1.00 APA

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship in the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • 1.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 CPEU

    This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 1.00 CPEUs.

  • 1.00 Occupational Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 Participation (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-MDs)

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Physical Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

Course opens: 
09/22/2025
Course expires: 
09/21/2027
Cost:
$40.00
Part of: 
Lifestyle Medicine Now

Mark D. Faries, PhD

Dr. Mark D. Faries is a Professor and Extension Health Specialist in Behavioral Medicine with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension (Family & Community Health), and Adjunct Faculty with the Texas A&M School of Medicine and School of Public Health. His research and extension efforts explore why and how people initiate and maintain healthy behaviors, with focus on theoretical, self-regulatory, and religious perspectives (particularly of ancient Christianity). He is Director of the Well Church Initiative (wellchurch.tamu.edu) that supports clergy, congregations, and communities with innovative health education and resources across the faith-placed to faith-based continuum. He is a former ACLM board member and is currently active in the discussion of religion/spirituality in lifestyle medicine practice.

Accreditation Statement, Disclosure Information, and Credit Designation Statements

Joint Providership Statement: In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by RUSH University Medical Center and American College of Lifestyle Medicine. RUSH University Medical Center is Jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing medical education for the healthcare team.

Disclosure Information

Unapproved Uses of Drugs/Devices: In accordance with requirements of the FDA, the audience is advised that information presented in this continuing medical education activity may contain references to unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices. Please refer to the FDA approved package insert for each drug/device for full prescribing/utilization information.

It is the policy of the Interprofessional Continuing Education office at RUSH to ensure that its CE activities are independent, free of commercial bias. Therefore, we manage all financial relationships associated with accredited continuing education activities. RUSH asks everyone who has the ability to control or influence the content of an educational activity to disclose information about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months.

An ineligible company is an entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum threshold; individuals must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. Individuals must disclose regardless of their view of the relevance of relationships to education. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any potential conflicts of interest prior to the planning, implementation, or evaluation of the continuing education activity. If a financial relationship is identified for the person in control of content, conflict mitigation strategies will be used to mitigate the financial relationship before they assume their role.

Individuals in control of content for this activity have the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose and all financial relationships have been mitigated.

NameDisclosure
Rohit Moghe, PharmD, MSPH, CDCESMember, Speaker's Bureau - Novo Nordisk

All other individuals in control of content have no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 AAFP Prescribed

    The AAFP has reviewed Religion and Spirituality in Lifestyle Medicine and deemed it acceptable for up to 1.00 Enduring Materials, Self-Study AAFP Prescribed credit(s). Term of Approval is from 9/18/2025 to 9/18/2025. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. .

  • 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participation completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

  • 1.00 ABLM MOC

    The American Board of Lifestyle Medicine has approved 1.00 maintenance of certification credits (MOC) for this learning activity.

  • 1.00 ABS Accredited CME

    Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

  • 1.00 ACPE Pharmacy

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacists.

  • 1.00 ACPE Technician

    Rush University Medical Center designates this knowledge-based enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 contact hour(s) for pharmacy technicians.

  • 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

    Rush Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 ANCC

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 nursing contact hour(s).

  • 1.00 APA

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 CE credits in psychology. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship in the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • 1.00 ASWB

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Rush University Medical Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved continuing education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 1.00 general continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 CPEU

    This enduring material has been approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Completion of this activity awards 1.00 CPEUs.

  • 1.00 Occupational Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

  • 1.00 Participation (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for non-MDs)

    Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

  • 1.00 Physical Therapy CE

    Rush University Medical Center is an approved provider for physical therapy (216.000378) and occupational therapy (224.000220) by the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation. Rush University Medical Center designates this enduring material for 1.00 continuing education credits.

Price

Cost:
$40.00
Please login or create an account to take this course.

ACLM member and category discounts are applied at checkout.

Non-memberACLM Members
$40

$30

Access to online material is granted through the term of approval, which ends September 21, 2027.

Participant User Agreement (Terms of Use and Copyright) 

Before registering for a Continuing Education/Continuing Medical Education Course (“Training”) for the first time, carefully review the following conditions of usage at https://lifestylemedicine.org/terms-of-use-and-copyright/

Registering for an American College of Lifestyle Medicine Course indicates your acceptance of the Participant User Agreement and its terms and conditions. 

Required Hardware/software

This course can be viewed on desktop or tablet using a modern browser and most mobile devices. Speakers or headphones are required for this course.