Does yoga training relate to health-promoting modifications of anthropometric indicators of overweight and quality of life in young women? Preliminary observations.

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity are global civilization problems affecting all age groups, including in Poland. The prevalence of excessive body weight among young women in 2022, according to the Central Statistical Office (GUS), was 20%. Overweight leads to numerous complications and increases the risk of chronic diseases. There is also a confirmed link between obesity and low self-acceptance, leading to a decrease in quality of life, especially among women. Health-promoting modifications of lifestyle, including physical activity and diet, play a crucial role in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Regular physical activity like yoga is also associated with improved quality of life, particularly in the psychological domain. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to assess the changes in anthropometric indicators of body weight (BMI, WC, WHR) and quality of life (SF-36) after 8 weeks of yoga training, conducted 3 times a week, with each session lasting 45 minutes.Material and methods: The study included 27 women with an average age of 31.48 years 10.98, who were not undergoing any medical therapy or engaging in other physical training, and were not pregnant. The participants did not make any changes to their diet during the study. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 24. The normal distribution of variables was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, and the difference between variables was analyzed using either the Student's t-test or the Wilcoxon test. The relationships between variables were examined using the Spearman's rank correlation test.Results: The analysis of the obtained results showed that in the study group, the conducted yoga training led to a statistically significant increase in the level of quality of life in all domains (PCS, MCS, PF, RP, BP, GH, VT, SF, MH). There were no statistically significant changes observed in BMI, WC, and WHR before and after the training, which may be attributed to the small sample size and requires further research.Conclusion: Based on the preliminary results, it can be inferred that an 8-week yoga training may be recommended as a method to improve the quality of life in women.