The Effects of Hatha Yoga on Anthropometric and Psychological Indices among Retired Women: A Randomized Controlled...

Aging is accompanied by various physiological and psychological changes that necessitate focused attention on both physical and mental health. Hatha yoga, a safe and nonpharmacological intervention, has shown promise in promoting overall well-being in older adults.

This study aimed to assess the effects of Hatha yoga on anthropometric and psychological parameters in retired women attending the Retirement Center of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences.

In this two-arm randomized controlled trial, 64 retired women over the age of 60 years were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group using a 1:1 parallel design. The intervention group attended Hatha yoga sessions once a week for 8 weeks, while the control group received no intervention. Anthropometric measurements (body mass index [BMI], waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio [WHR]) and psychological assessments (depression, anxiety, and stress) were recorded at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months postintervention.

All 64 participants completed the study. Repeated-measures ANOVA (SPSS v16.0) revealed significant reductions in stress (P < 0.001), anxiety (P < 0.001), WC (P < 0.001), and WHR (P < 0.001) in the intervention group across the three time points. No significant changes were observed in depression (P = 0.537), and although there was a within-group reduction in BMI, the between-group difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

An 8-week Hatha yoga program effectively reduces stress, anxiety, WC, and WHR in healthy retired women, supporting its role as a beneficial intervention for promoting health in the elderly.