Bryan Stephanie, Pinto Zipp Genevieve, Parasher Raju
St. Peter's University, Jersey City, NJ, USA.
Altern Ther Health Med. 2012 Sep-Oct;18(5):50-9.
Physical inactivity is a serious issue for the American public. Because of conditions that result from inactivity, individuals incur close to $1 trillion USD in health-care costs, and approximately 250 000 premature deaths occur per year. Researchers have linked engaging in yoga to improved overall fitness, including improved muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and balance. Researchers have not yet investigated the impact of yoga on exercise adherence.
The research team assessed the effects of 10 weeks of yoga classes held twice a week on exercise adherence in previously sedentary adults.
The research team designed a randomized controlled pilot trial. The team collected data from the intervention (yoga) and control groups at baseline, midpoint, and posttest (posttest 1) and also collected data pertaining to exercise adherence for the yoga group at 5 weeks posttest (posttest 2).
The pilot took place in a yoga studio in central New Jersey in the United States. The pretesting occurred at the yoga studio for all participants. Midpoint testing and posttesting occurred at the studio for the yoga group and by mail for the control group.
Participants were 27 adults (mean age 51 y) who had been physically inactive for a period of at least 6 months prior to the study. Interventions The intervention group (yoga group) received hour-long hatha yoga classes that met twice a week for 10 weeks. The control group did not participate in classes during the research study; however, they were offered complimentary post research classes. Outcome Measures The study's primary outcome measure was exercise adherence as measured by the 7-day Physical Activity Recall. The secondary measures included (1) exercise self-efficacy as measured by the Multidimensional Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale, (2) general well-being as measured by the General Well-Being Schedule, (3) exercise-group cohesion as measured by the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ), (4) acute feeling response as measured by the Exercise-induced Feeling Inventory (EFI), and (5) two open-ended questions coded for emerging themes and subcategories.
The analysis revealed that the yoga group's mean hours of physical activity at 10 weeks reflected a significant increase in exercise adherence from baseline (P < .012) and a significant difference from the control group (P < .004). At 5 weeks post-intervention, no significant change had occurred in the yoga group's exercise adherence (P = .906). Exercise self-efficacy changed significantly from baseline to midpoint (P < .029). The general wellbeing data demonstrated a significant interaction effect (P < .001), resulting from an increase in general well-being in the intervention group and a decrease in general well-being in the control group. In addition, the yoga group's cohesion score was consistent with the norms on two constructs of the GEQ: Attraction to Group Task and Group Integration Task. The EFI revealed that the yoga participants "felt strongly" that their experiences in yoga were peaceful, happy, upbeat, and enthusiastic and that they felt revived following the yoga classes. Qualitative analysis of data revealed self-reported improvements in exercise behaviors, stress management, and eating habits.
Ten weeks of yoga classes twice a week significantly increased previously inactive participants' adherence to physical activity. Additionally, the findings suggest that a mind-body exercise program may be an effective intervention in the fight against physical inactivity.
缺乏体育锻炼对美国公众来说是一个严重问题。由于缺乏锻炼导致的各种状况，个人每年产生近1万亿美元的医疗保健费用，并且每年约有25万人过早死亡。研究人员已将练习瑜伽与整体健康状况的改善联系起来，包括肌肉力量、肌肉耐力、柔韧性和平衡能力的提高。研究人员尚未调查瑜伽对运动坚持性的影响。
研究团队评估了每周两次、为期10周的瑜伽课程对之前久坐不动的成年人运动坚持性的影响。
研究团队设计了一项随机对照试验。该团队在基线、中点和测试后（测试后1）从干预组（瑜伽组）和对照组收集数据，并且在测试后5周（测试后2）收集与瑜伽组运动坚持性相关的数据。
该试验在美国新泽西州中部的一家瑜伽工作室进行。所有参与者的预测试在瑜伽工作室进行。瑜伽组的中点测试和测试后在工作室进行，对照组则通过邮件进行。
参与者为27名成年人（平均年龄51岁），他们在研究前至少有6个月没有进行体育锻炼。干预措施干预组（瑜伽组）接受每周两次、每次时长一小时的哈他瑜伽课程，为期10周。对照组在研究期间不参加课程；不过，研究结束后为他们提供了免费课程。结果测量该研究的主要结果测量指标是通过7天身体活动回忆来衡量的运动坚持性。次要测量指标包括：（1）通过运动多维自我效能量表测量的运动自我效能；（2）通过总体幸福感量表测量的总体幸福感；（3）通过团体环境问卷（GEQ）测量的运动团体凝聚力；（4）通过运动诱发感觉量表（EFI）测量的即时感觉反应；（5）两个开放式问题，针对出现的主题和子类别进行编码。
分析显示，瑜伽组在10周时的平均身体活动时长表明，与基线相比运动坚持性显著增加（P < 0.012），且与对照组有显著差异（P < 0.004）。在干预后5周，瑜伽组的运动坚持性没有显著变化（P = 0.906）。运动自我效能从基线到中点有显著变化（P < 0.029）。总体幸福感数据显示出显著的交互作用（P < 0.001），这是由于干预组总体幸福感增加而对照组总体幸福感下降所致。此外，瑜伽组的凝聚力得分与GEQ的两个构念（对团体任务的吸引力和团体整合任务）的标准一致。EFI显示，参与瑜伽的人“强烈感觉”他们在瑜伽中的体验是平静、快乐、积极向上和充满热情的，并且在瑜伽课程后感到恢复了活力。对数据的定性分析显示，自我报告的运动行为、压力管理和饮食习惯有所改善。
每周两次、为期10周的瑜伽课程显著提高了之前不运动的参与者对体育活动的坚持性。此外，研究结果表明，身心锻炼计划可能是对抗缺乏体育锻炼的有效干预措施。
