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Racialized Black-White Economic Segregation and Major Chain Yoga Studio Locations in Major U.S. Metropolitan Areas
Kevin Y Xu1,2,3, Ruth Ling1, Devin E Banks1,2,3
1Division of Addiction Science, Prevention, and Treatment Research, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
Major yoga franchises are disproportionately located in areas with high racialized economic segregation. This study highlights potential inequities in access to yoga studios across the U.S. based on race and income.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
Background:
- Yoga's popularity and benefits are widely recognized.
- Concerns exist regarding racial inequities in yoga access and participation.
- Empirical, population-level studies on these inequities are lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the geographic distribution of major yoga franchises.
- To assess this distribution in relation to racialized Black-White economic segregation.
- To investigate potential disparities in yoga studio accessibility.
Main Methods:
- Extracted census tract and ZIP code data for over 500 yoga franchises.
- Calculated the Index of Concentration at the Extremes (ICERace[Black-White]-Income) for racialized economic segregation.
- Analyzed studio locations against racial demographics and household incomes.
Main Results:
- Less than 10% of studios were in areas with >13% Black residents.
- Under 25% of studios were in areas with incomes below the national median.
- The average studio location fell within the highest quintile of racialized economic segregation (ICERace[Black-White]-Income=0.37).
Conclusions:
- Major yoga franchises are predominantly located in highly racially and economically segregated U.S. census tracts and ZIP codes.
- Findings suggest a spatial bias in yoga studio distribution.
- This spatial bias may contribute to existing racial inequities in access to yoga and its benefits.
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