Is the practice of yoga or meditation associated with a healthy lifestyle? Results of a national cross-sectional survey of 28,695 Australian women.


Author: Cramer H1, Sibbritt D2, Park CL3, Adams J2, Lauche R2

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany; Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: h.cramer@kliniken-essen-mitte.de.

<sup>2</sup>Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine (ARCCIM), Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

<sup>3</sup>Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
Conference/Journal: J Psychosom Res.
Date published: 2017 Jul 27
Other:
 Volume ID: 101   ,  Pages: 104-109   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.07.013. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 223  
    OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between yoga/meditation practice and health behavior in Australian women.



METHODS: Women aged 19-25years, 31-36years, and 62-67years from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) were surveyed regarding smoking, alcohol or drug use, physical activity and dietary behavior; and whether they practiced yoga/meditation on a regular basis. Associations of health behaviors with yoga/meditation practice were analyzed using multiple logistic regression modelling.



RESULTS: 11,344, 8200, and 9151 women aged 19-25years, 31-36years, and 62-67years, respectively, were included of which 29.0%, 21.7%, and 20.7%, respectively, practiced yoga/meditation. Women practicing yoga/meditation were significantly more likely to report at least moderate physical activity levels (OR=1.50-2.79), to follow a vegetarian (OR=1.67-3.22) or vegan (OR=2.26-3.68) diet, and to report the use of marijuana (OR=1.28-1.89) and illicit drugs in the last 12 months (OR=1.23-1.98).



CONCLUSIONS: Yoga/meditation practice was associated with higher physical activity levels, a higher likelihood of vegetarian or vegan diet use, and a higher likelihood of drug use. While health professionals should keep the potential vulnerability of yoga/meditation practitioners to drug use in mind, the positive associations of yoga/meditation with a variety of positive health behaviors warrant its consideration in preventive medicine and healthcare.



Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.



KEYWORDS: Diet; Exercise; Health behavior; Meditation; Survey; Yoga



PMID: 28867414  DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2017.07.013