Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, DEPtH Lab, London, Ontario, Canada.
PeerJ. 2024 May 31;12:e17369. doi: 10.7717/peerj.17369. eCollection 2024.
Physical inactivity is one of the four key preventable risk factors, along with unhealthy diet, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption, underlying most noncommunicable diseases. Promoting physical activity is particularly important among children and youth, whose active living behaviours often track into adulthood. Incorporating yoga, an ancient practice that originated in India, can be a culturally-appropriate strategy to promote physical activity in India. However, there is little evidence on whether yoga practice is associated with moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accumulation. Thus, this study aims to understand how yoga practice is associated with MVPA among children and youth in India. Data for this study were obtained during the coronavirus disease lockdown in 2021. Online surveys capturing MVPA, yoga practice, contextual factors, and sociodemographic characteristics, were completed by 5 to 17-year-old children and youth in partnership with 41 schools across 28 urban and rural locations in five states. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between yoga practice and MVPA. After controlling for age, gender, and location, yoga practice was significantly associated with MVPA among children and youth (β = 0.634, < 0.000). These findings highlight the value of culturally-appropriate activities such as yoga, to promote physical activity among children and youth. Yoga practice might have a particularly positive impact on physical activity among children and youth across the world, owing to its growing global prevalence.
身体活动不足是导致大多数非传染性疾病的四个主要可预防风险因素之一，其他三个因素包括不健康饮食、吸烟和饮酒。促进身体活动对于儿童和青少年尤为重要，因为他们的积极生活方式往往会延续到成年期。瑜伽是一种起源于印度的古老运动，将其纳入其中可以成为在印度促进身体活动的一种文化上适宜的策略。然而，关于瑜伽练习是否与中等到剧烈身体活动（MVPA）积累有关的证据很少。因此，本研究旨在了解瑜伽练习与印度儿童和青少年的 MVPA 之间的关系。本研究的数据是在 2021 年冠状病毒病封锁期间获得的。通过与分布在五个邦的 41 所学校合作，在线调查了儿童和青少年的 MVPA、瑜伽练习、背景因素和社会人口特征，调查对象为 5 至 17 岁的儿童和青少年。线性回归分析用于评估瑜伽练习与 MVPA 之间的关联。在控制了年龄、性别和地点后，瑜伽练习与儿童和青少年的 MVPA 显著相关（β=0.634， <0.000）。这些发现强调了瑜伽等文化适宜活动在促进儿童和青少年身体活动方面的价值。由于瑜伽在全球的普及，瑜伽练习可能对世界各地的儿童和青少年的身体活动产生特别积极的影响。
