Prevalence and 20-year trends in meditation, yoga, guided imagery and progressive relaxation use among US adults from 2002 to 2022
Author: Jonathan N Davies1, Anna Faschinger1, Julieta Galante1, Nicholas T Van Dam2
Affiliation:
1 Contemplative Studies Centre, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Level 1, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
2 Contemplative Studies Centre, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Level 1, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia. nicholas.vandam@unimelb.edu.au.
Conference/Journal: Sci Rep
Date published: 2024 Jul 1
Other:
Volume ID: 14 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 14987 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-64562-y. , Word Count: 218
Meditation, yoga, guided imagery, and progressive relaxation are promoted as complementary approaches for health and wellbeing in the United States, but their uptake by different sociodemographic groups is unclear. This study assessed the prevalence and 20 year trends in the use of these practices in US adults between 2002-2022. We examined practice use and associations with sociodemographic and health factors in a population-weighted analysis of n = 134,959 participants across 5 cycles of the National Health Interview Survey. The overall use of meditation (18.3%, 60.53 million), yoga (16.8%, 55.78 million) and guided imagery/progressive relaxation (6.7%, 22.22 million) increased significantly from 2002 to 2022. Growth was consistent across most sociodemographic and health strata, however users of 'Other' race (comprising 54% Indigenous Americans, Odds Ratios; ORs = 1.28-1.70) and users with moderate (ORs = 1.19-1.29) psychological distress were overrepresented across all practices, and those with severe psychological distress were overrepresented in meditation (OR = 1.33) and guided imagery/progressive relaxation (OR = 1.42). Meditation use has accelerated over time for 65 + year olds (OR = 4.22), people not accessing mental health care (OR = 1.39), and less educated (OR = 4.02) groups, potentially reflecting unmet health needs. Health professionals should consider the extensive use of complementary practices in service and treatment planning and consider their risks and benefits.
Keywords: CAM; Complementary and alternative medicine; Guided imagery; Meditation; NHIS; National health interview survey; Prevalence; Progressive relaxation; Public health; Trends; Yoga.
PMID: 38951149 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64562-y
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