Factors associated with transcendental meditation practice in older people
REVISTA CIÊNCIAS EM SAÚDE September 15, 2020 Daniel Vicentini de Oliveira, Sônia Maria Marques Gomes Bertolini, Ellis Gilson Chatalov et al.
Older adults who practice transcendental meditation tend to be younger, more educated, and have higher income than non-practitioners. Practitioners reported excellent or good self-perceived health more often (91.7% vs 77.4%) and had fewer hospitalizations in the prior six months (5% vs 24.5%). Those who avoided hospitalization were 5.7 times more likely to practice TM, and those without diabetes were 4.9 times more likely. Better self-perceived health was associated with an 80% greater likelihood of practicing TM. The findings suggest that TM practice is linked to better perceived health and lower hospitalization and diabetes rates among older adults.