The Impact of Competency-based Medical Education-mandated Yoga Training on First-Year Medical Students: A...

The competency-based medical education curriculum by the National Medical Commission promotes holistic development, including yoga training, to support mental health and resilience in medical students. While yoga is known to reduce stress and enhance mindfulness, its impact on academic performance and stress management in medical students is not well-established.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of 28-day yoga on academic performance, mindfulness, perceived stress, and quality of life among the medical students of 1st year and compare these outcomes with students who did not practice yoga.

This study is a quasi-experimental study, conducted in a tertiary care centre of north India. This study involved 100 1st-year medical students divided into 2 groups: 50 practicing yoga for 28 days and 50 not practicing yoga. Baseline and postintervention assessments of academic performance, perceived stress, mindfulness, and quality of life were conducted. Data analysis included t-tests and repeated measures analysis of variance.

After 28 days of yoga, students showed significant reductions in stress (perceived stress scale), increased mindfulness (mindful attention awareness scale), improved quality of life (World Health Organization quality of life [WHOQOL] in all domains), and better academic performance (P < 0.001 for all, except WHOQOL social and environment domains with P = 0.009 and 0.001, respectively). No statistically significant differences were present at baseline between the control groups and yoga group, while postintervention comparisons favored the yoga group across all parameters.

A short-term yoga intervention significantly improved stress levels, mindfulness, quality of life, and academic scores in medical students, supporting its integration into medical education for holistic well-being.