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Yoga in school sport - A non-randomized controlled pilot study in Germany
Michael Jeitler1, Christian S Kessler1, Hannah Zillgen2
1Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Germany; Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany; Department of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Immanuel Hospital Berlin, Germany.
A 10-week yoga course showed promising, though not statistically significant, stress reduction in young adults. While group differences were minimal, the yoga group experienced notable within-group improvements in well-being.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Mind-Body Interventions
Background:
- Adolescent and young adult distress is a growing public health concern.
- Yoga interventions are increasingly explored for mental health benefits in youth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of a 10-week yoga course on stress and well-being in German secondary school students.
- To compare yoga intervention outcomes against a school sport control group.
Main Methods:
- A non-randomized controlled study involving 92 adolescents and young adults.
- Primary outcome: Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Secondary outcomes: depression, anxiety, quality of life, mood, and pain/exhaustion via VAS.
- Assessments conducted at pre-baseline, baseline, 10 weeks, and 6-month follow-up; intention-to-treat analysis using ANCOVA.
Main Results:
- No significant between-group differences in PSS at 10 weeks or 6 months.
- Significant intra-group improvements in the yoga group for PSS and several secondary outcomes.
- VAS headache favored yoga, while HADS-D favored school sport at 6-month follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Yoga may offer benefits for young adults in school settings, with effects more pronounced within the yoga group.
- Non-specific effects due to study design may influence results.
- Further research with robust designs (randomization, larger samples, longer follow-up) is recommended.
