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Characteristics of Yoga Users: Results of a National Survey
Open accessAbstract
Background There are limited data on the characteristics of yoga users in the U.S. Objective To characterize yoga users, medical reasons for use, perceptions of helpfulness, and disclosure of use to medical professionals. Methods Utilizing cross-sectional survey data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Alternative Medicine Supplement (n = 31044), we examined correlates of yoga use for health. The estimated prevalence from 2002 NHIS of yoga for health was 5.1% corresponding to over 10 million adults. Results In 2002, yoga users were predominately Caucasian (85%) and female (76%) with a mean age of 39.5 years. Compared to non-yoga users, yoga users were more likely female (OR 3.76, 95% CI 3.11-4.33); less likely black than white (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.53-0.80); tended to be younger; and more likely college educated (OR 2.70, 95% CI 2.37-3.08). Musculoskeletal conditions (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.42-1.83), mental health conditions (OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.22-1.67), severe sprains in the last 12 months (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.22-1.81), and asthma (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05-1.54) were independently associated with higher yoga use, while hypertension (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.95) and chronic obstructive lung disease (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.48-1.00) were associated with lower use. Yoga was most commonly used to treat musculoskeletal or mental health conditions, and most users reported yoga to be helpful for these conditions. A majority of yoga users (61%) felt yoga was important in maintaining health, though only 25% disclosed yoga practice to their medical professional. Conclusions We found that yoga users are more likely to be white, female, young and college educated. Yoga users report benefit for musculoskeletal conditions and mental health, indicating that further research on the efficacy of yoga for the treatment and/or prevention of these conditions is warranted.
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“Indeed, evidence shows that yoga is increasingly being used to self‐manage mood symptoms (Birdee et al., 2008).”
From A mindful yoga intervention for young women with major depressive disorder: Design and baseline sample characteristics of a randomized controlled trial (2020) · cites this paper as Birdee et al., 2008
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“As yoga is especially popular with young women (Birdee et al., 2008), this group may be particularly likely to profit from the benefits of yoga‐based interventions.”
From A mindful yoga intervention for young women with major depressive disorder: Design and baseline sample characteristics of a randomized controlled trial (2020) · cites this paper as Birdee et al., 2008
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Metadata
- Authors
- Birdee, G. S., Legedza, A. T., Saper, R. B., Bertisch, S. M., Eisenberg, D. M., & Phillips, R. S.
- Affiliations
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals (United States) (US)
- Boston University (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Birdee, Gurjeet S.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of General Internal Medicine
- Published
- 2008-07-24
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 1653-1658
- ISSN
- 0884-8734 (ISSN-L)
- 1525-1497
- PMC
- PMC2533368
- OpenAlex
- W2062009832
- Cited by
- 335
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 33.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of General Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (K24-AT000589)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (K24AT000589, T32AT00051-06, T32AT000051)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- yoga, complementary and alternative medicine, musculoskeletal disorders, mental health, asthma, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, National Health Interview Survey, chronic pain management, stress reduction, relaxation techniques
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Complementary Therapies, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, United States, Yoga, Health Behavior
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