Understanding motivators and barriers for yoga practice in obese and non-obese individuals

Shirley Telles; Shivam K. Gupta; Sachin K. Sharma

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20240517

Authors

Shirley Telles Department of Yoga Research, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
Shivam K. Gupta Department of Yoga Research, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India
Sachin K. Sharma Department of Yoga Research, Patanjali Research Foundation, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20240517

Keywords:

Obesity, Yoga therapy, Motivation, Barriers, Body mass index

Abstract

Background: Yoga is a comprehensive lifestyle intervention which has been used for weight management by overweight and obese. Yoga is also used as therapy for various other ailments by both obese and non-obese individuals. However, the motivators and barriers of yoga in obese persons compared to non-obese has not been reported.

Methods: The present cross-sectional comparative control trial included 200 participants of both sexes aged between 13 and 80 years. Of these, 102 were obese and 98 were non-obese. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test.

Results: The most common motivators for yoga were: reducing symptoms of illness (35% for obese versus 21.73% for non-obese), pain relief, (21% for obese versus 10.86% for non-obese) and lifestyle changes (9% for obese versus 10.86% for non-obese). The most common barriers for yoga were: no time (29.54% for obese versus 42.25% for non-obese), physical incapability of practicing yoga (18.18% for obese versus 16.9% for non-obese) and tiredness (15.9%) for obese and no interest/motivation (15.49%) for non-obese.

Conclusions: The motivators to yoga for obese are comparable to non-obese with obese use yoga more frequently for “reducing symptoms of illness”. Also, the barriers to yoga are comparable to obese with normal weight for “no time”.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Ul-Haq Z, Mackay DF, Fenwick E, Pell JP. Meta-analysis of the association between body mass index and health-related quality of life among adults, assessed by the SF-36. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013;21(3):E322-7.

Lauche R, Langhorst J, Lee MS, Dobos G, Cramer H. A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes. Prev Med. 2016;87:213-32.

Unick JL, Dunsiger SI, Bock BC, Sherman SA, Braun TD, Wing RR. A preliminary investigation of yoga as an intervention approach for improving long-term weight loss: A randomized trial. PLoS One. 2022;17(2):e0263405.

Joosten EA, DeFuentes-Merillas L, de Weert GH, Sensky T, van der Staak CP, de Jong CA. Systematic review of the effects of shared decision-making on patient satisfaction, treatment adherence and health status. Psychother Psychosom. 2008;77(4):219-26.

Van der Weijden T, Légaré F, Boivin A, Burgers JS, van Veenendaal H, Stiggelbout AM, et al. How to integrate individual patient values and preferences in clinical practice guidelines? A research protocol. Implement Sci. 2010;5:10.

Olander EK, Fletcher H, Williams S, Atkinson L, Turner A, French DP. What are the most effective techniques in changing obese individuals' physical activity self-efficacy and behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2013;10:29.

I Government Health. India Reworks Obesity Guidelines, BMI Lowered. 2010. Available at: http://www.igovernment.in/articles/26259/india-reworks-obesity-guidelines-bmi-lowered. Accessed on 18 September 2023.

Lerner RM, Steinberg L, editors. Handbook of adolescent psychology, volume 1: Individual bases of adolescent development. John Wiley & Sons. 2009.

Okifuji A, Hare BD. The association between chronic pain and obesity. J Pain Res. 2015;8:399-408.

Qian M, Shi Y, Yu M. The association between obesity and chronic pain among community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Geriatr Nurs. 2021;42(1):8-15.

Deere KC, Clinch J, Holliday K, McBeth J, Crawley EM, Sayers A, et al. Obesity is a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain in adolescents: findings from a population-based cohort. Pain. 2012;153(9):1932-8.

Li J, Chen J, Qin Q, Zhao D, Dong B, Ren Q, Yu D, Bi P, Sun Y. Chronic pain and its association with obesity among older adults in China. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2018;76:12-8.

Jinks C, Jordan K, Croft P. Disabling knee pain--another consequence of obesity: results from a prospective cohort study. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:258.