Prevalence, patterns, and predictors of meditation use among US adults: A nationally representative survey

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests substantial health benefits from using meditation. While there are some indications that the popularity of meditation is increasing, little is known about the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of meditation use in the general population. In this secondary analysis of data from the 2012 US National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) (n = 34,525), lifetime and 12-month prevalence of meditation use were 5.2% and 4.1%, respectively. Compared to non-users, those who had used meditation in the past 12 months were more likely to be 40–64 years, female, non-Hispanic White, living in the West, at least college-educated, not in a relationship, diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions, smoking, consuming alcohol and physically active. Meditation was mainly used for general wellness (76.2%), improving energy (60.0%), and aiding memory or concentration (50.0%). Anxiety (29.2%), stress (21.6%), and depression (17.8%) were the top health problems for which people used meditation; 63.6% reported that meditation had helped a great deal with these conditions. Only 34.8% disclosed their use of meditation with a health provider. These findings indicate that about 9.3 million US adults have used meditation in the past 12 months; and that mental health problems were the most important reason for meditation use.

Evaluation of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Transcendental Meditation in Pregnant Women

“…In the present study the main source of information about TM to the participants weres internet and, social media (31.25%) followed by holistic classes 8(25%), friends and relatives (18.75%).The other sources were television, books, and treating doctors. Similar findings had been reported in a study by Holger [29] wherein majority of participant's seeked information from internet (30.6%) Books, magazines, or newspapers (41.7%) DVDs, videos, or CDs (17.8%) Television, or radio 13.6(%). More use of internet is due to easy availability and accessibility.…”

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of yoga on weight-related outcomes

“…About 14 million adult Americans (6.1% of the population) reported that yoga had been recommended to them by a physician or therapist (Macy, 2008). Indeed, about 80% of American yoga practitioners (more than 16 million people) reported that they had started practice explicitly to improve their health (Birdee et al, 2008;Clarke et al, 2002;Cramer et al, 2015a); and weight control is among the most frequently stated reasons for starting to practice (Park et al, 2014). While there is evidence to suggest that yoga is effective in promoting weight loss and improving body composition (Rioux and Ritenbaugh, 2013), no systematic review and/or metaanalysis on yoga for weight-related outcomes is available to date.…”

Respect for People’S Well-Being: Meditation for Construction Workers

“…There are two particular coping styles in response to managing a stressful situation: problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping (Langdon and Sawang 2017).The practice of meditation appears to be beneficial in environments where people have high levels of stress, such as the workplace (Cramer et al 2016;Elder 2014). During meditation, our experiences are not intentionally confronted, but only observed, and its practice turns into learning how not to be negatively influenced by understanding facts as mere mind flows (Teasdale 1999).…”