285547
Yoga, mindful eating, and weight management
Background Yoga is associated with improvements in the health-related aspects of fitness, adherence to exercise and the management of stress. Preliminary evidence suggests that yoga may impact eating behaviors, exercise patterns, and ultimately weight management. Participants Regular yoga participatns;87 men and women Outcome Measures Participants self-selected to complete a survey packet at their yoga establishments. The outcome variables measured were (1) mindful eating using the Mindful Eating Questionnaire,(2) exercise adherence as measured by the 7-day Physical Activity Recall, (3) Body Mass Index calculated from height and weight, (4) yoga tenure as measured by the number of months/years of consistent yoga participation, (5) average daily fruit and vegetable intake and (6) two open ended questions were posed to assess perceptions of yoga and their health-related behaviors Results Mindful eating score was inversely correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) r = -.185, p< .04. A significant difference was found in mindful eating score relative to yoga tenure, F= 3.633, p < .03 and vegetable and fruit intake relative to yoga tenure, F = 4.527, p < .01. Participants reported a mean of 239 minutes of weekly exercise other than yoga participation. 72% of the yoga participants had a BMI of 24.9 or less, placing them in the normal weight category. Participants felt yoga enhanced their exercise adherence and promoted the adoption of positive health habits. Conclusion Yoga participation over time is associated with mindful eating and the adoption and maintenance of other health-related behaviors such as regular physical activity and weight management.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Program planning
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Identify yoga as mindfulness-based movement pattern as a means of achieving sustainable health behaviors.
Demonstrate the relationship between mindfulness meditation and health behaviors
Keyword(s): Adult Health, Adherence
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I recently published a controlled pilot study in Alterntive Therapies in Health and Medicine investigating the effects of yoga on exercise adherence as part of my doctoral work. I have continued this line of inquiry with the current research, also submitting it for publication. I owned and operated a yoga studio for ten years in central New Jersy and continue to teach yoga to foster children with Children's Aid and Family Services in New Jersey.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
