The prevalence and characteristics of young and mid-age women who use yoga and meditation: results of a nationally representative survey of 19,209 Australian women.
David Sibbritt, Jon Adams, Pamela Van der Riet
Complementary Therapies in Medicine April 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2010.12.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional survey study Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19,209 |
| Population | Australian women in two age cohorts: 28-33 years (n=8885) and 56-61 years (n=10,324) who completed Survey 5 of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health in 2006 and 2007 |
| Interventions | Yoga Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | An estimated 35% of younger Australian women (aged 28-33) and 27% of mid-aged women (aged 56-61) use yoga or meditation. Use was more likely among younger women with back pain or allergies and mid-aged women with low iron or bowel problems, and less likely among younger women with migraines or headaches and mid-aged women with hypertension. The authors call for further research on the benefits of these practices. |
Abstract
To determine the characteristics of yoga and meditation users and non-users amongst young and mid-aged Australian women. The research was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) which was designed to investigate multiple factors affecting the health and well being of women over a 20-year period. The younger (28-33 years) (n=8885) and mid-aged (56-61 years) (n=10,324) cohorts of the ALSWH who completed Survey 5 in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Use of yoga. This study estimates that 35% of Australian women aged 28-33 and 27% of Australian women aged 56-61 use yoga or meditation. Younger women with back pain (OR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.52) and allergies (OR=1.25; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.49) were more likely to use yoga or meditation, while younger women with migraines or headaches (OR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87) were less likely to use yoga or meditation. Mid-age women with low iron (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.19) and bowel problems (OR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.65) were more likely to use yoga or meditation, while mid age women with hypertension (OR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.76) were less likely to use yoga or meditation. A large percentage of the female population are using yoga or meditation. Given that women who regularly use yoga or meditation positively associated with measures of mental and physical health, there is a need for further research to examine the experiences and potential benefits of these mind-body practices for women's health.
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 2
- Práctica de meditación por alumnos de primaria y secundaria en Perú: un estudio confirmatorio de salud y desempeño escolar Revista Innova Educación November 9, 2021
- Is the practice of yoga or meditation associated with a healthy lifestyle? Results of a national cross-sectional survey of 28,695 Australian women. Journal of Psychosomatic Research July 27, 2017