To Move or Not to Move: Factors of Mind-Body Practice Engagement in a Population-Based Study

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Behavioral Health

Background:

• Mind-body practices (MBPs), including meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, and qigong, are increasingly popular for mental and physical wellness in the U.S.
• Previous research has examined factors associated with engagement in seated or movement-based MBPs individually.
• No studies have explored factors related to the combined use of seated and movement-based MBPs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with engagement in seated, movement-based, and combined MBPs.
• To apply Anderson's behavioral model of health service utilization to understand MBP engagement patterns.
• To identify disparities in MBP use across different population subgroups.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey, a representative sample of the U.S. adult population.
• Employed descriptive statistics to summarize sample characteristics.
• Conducted multinomial logistic regression analysis, incorporating survey weights, to examine associations between predisposing, enabling, and needs factors with MBP engagement type.

Main Results:

• Approximately 5.8% of U.S. adults engaged in combined MBPs.
• Higher educational attainment was associated with increased odds of utilizing all forms of MBPs.
• Combined MBP engagement was significantly higher among individuals experiencing moderate to severe psychological distress and chronic pain, with racial-ethnic disparities noted in movement- and combined-MBP use.

Conclusions:

• Combined MBPs are utilized by a substantial segment of the U.S. adult population, with engagement patterns varying across sociodemographic and health characteristics.
• The association of combined MBP usage with mental and physical health needs suggests their potential as a complementary health resource.
• Healthcare providers are encouraged to recommend combined MBPs for patients with psychological distress or mild chronic pain. Future efforts should focus on enhancing MBP accessibility in educational settings to mitigate racial-ethnic disparities.