Who practices yoga? A systematic review of demographic, health-related, and psychosocial factors associated with yoga practice.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to systematically review the characteristics and correlates of individuals who independently choose to practice yoga, including its relationship with psychosocial factors like mindfulness.
Results Summary
Yoga practice is associated with favorable psychosocial factors such as coping and mindfulness, better subjective health, and health behaviors, but also with more distress and physical impairment. However, the evidence is sparse, and methodological limitations prevent causal inferences.
Population
Individuals who independently practice yoga, primarily women and those with higher socioeconomic status.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
yoga practice | increase | yoga use | women | - | is greatest among | #1 |
yoga practice | increase | yoga use | those with higher socioeconomic status | - | is greatest among | #2 |
yoga practice | increase | psychosocial factors | - | - | appears favorably related to | #3 |
yoga practice | increase | subjective health | - | - | relates to better | #4 |
yoga practice | increase | health behaviors | - | - | relates to better | #5 |
yoga practice | increase | distress | - | - | relates with more | #6 |
yoga practice | increase | physical impairment | - | - | relates with more | #7 |
Yoga has become increasingly popular in the US and around the world, yet because most yoga research is conducted as clinical trials or experiments, little is known about the characteristics and correlates of people who independently choose to practice yoga. We conducted a systematic review of this issue, identifying 55 studies and categorizing correlates of yoga practice into sociodemographics, psychosocial characteristics, and mental and physical well-being. Yoga use is greatest among women and those with higher socioeconomic status and appears favorably related to psychosocial factors such as coping and mindfulness. Yoga practice often relates to better subjective health and health behaviors but also with more distress and physical impairment. However, evidence is sparse and methodological limitations preclude drawing causal inferences. Nationally representative studies have minimally assessed yoga while studies with strong assessment of yoga practice (e.g., type, dose) are generally conducted with convenience samples. Almost all studies reviewed are cross-sectional and few control for potential confounding variables. We provide recommendations for future research to better understand the correlates of yoga practice.