Prevalence of Mindfulness Practices in the US Workforce: National Health Interview Survey
Diana Kachan, Henry A. Olano, Stacey L. Tannenbaum, Debra W. Annane, Ashwin B. Mehta, Kristopher L. Arheart, Lora E. Fleming, Xuan Yang, Laura A. McClure, David J. Lee
Preventing Chronic Disease December 30, 2016 DOI: 10.5888/pcd14.160034 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study using repeated cross-sectional national survey data Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 85,004 |
| Population | US adults aged 18 years and older who were workers, surveyed in 2002, 2007, and 2012 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 59 |
| Key findings | Reported yoga practice among US workers nearly doubled from 6.0% in 2002 to 11.0% in 2012, and meditation increased from 8.0% in 2002 to 9.9% in 2007. Mindfulness practice was less common among farm workers (odds ratio 0.42) and blue-collar workers (odds ratio 0.63) than among white-collar workers. |
Abstract
Introduction: Mindfulness-based practices can improve workers' health and reduce employers' costs by ameliorating the negative effect of stress on workers' health. We examined the prevalence of engagement in 4 mindfulness-based practices in the US workforce.
Methods: We used 2002, 2007, and 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for adults (aged ≥18 y, n = 85,004) to examine 12-month engagement in meditation, yoga, tai chi, and qigong among different groups of workers.
Results: Reported yoga practice prevalence nearly doubled from 6.0% in 2002 to 11.0% in 2012 (P < .001); meditation rates increased from 8.0% in 2002 to 9.9% in 2007 (P < .001). In multivariable models, mindfulness practice was significantly lower among farm workers (odds ratio [OR] = 0.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-0.83]) and blue-collar workers (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.54-0.74) than among white-collar workers.
Conclusion: Worker groups with low rates of engagement in mindfulness practices could most benefit from workplace mindfulness interventions. Improving institutional factors limiting access to mindfulness-based wellness programs and addressing existing beliefs about mindfulness practices among underrepresented worker groups could help eliminate barriers to these programs.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cited by 16
- Qigong and Tai-Chi for Mood Regulation FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry 2018
- How do people conceptualize mindfulness? Royal Society Open Science March 1, 2022
- Dispositional mindfulness, anticipation and abstinence symptoms related to hypnotic dependence among insomniac women who seek treatment: A cross-sectional study PLoS One March 16, 2018
- Mindfulness instruction for community-hospital physicians for burnout and patient care: A pilot study Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management December 27, 2019
- To Move or Not to Move: Factors of Mind-Body Practice Engagement in a Population-Based Study. Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine April 1, 2025
and 11 more in the library
Cites 8
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Association of an Educational Program in Mindful Communication With Burnout, Empathy, and Attitudes Among Primary Care Physicians JAMA September 22, 2009
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction as a Stress Management Intervention for Healthy Individuals Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine July 22, 2014
- A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Meditation for Work Stress, Anxiety and Depressed Mood in Full‐Time Workers Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011
and 3 more in the library