A hospital-based cross-sectional study on yoga and meditation in patients of hypertension in Western India

Abstract

Background: Yoga and meditation hold promise as a non-pharmacological management of hypertension as they have shown to lower blood pressure. This study aimed at (1) assessing the awareness about benefits of yoga and meditation in hypertension among patients and finding its socio-demographic correlates, (2) estimating the practice of yoga and meditation in hypertensives, its pattern and impact on blood pressure control.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 hypertensive patients. Statistical association was tested with chi square and independent t tests.Results: It was observed that only 9% respondents were aware of the benefits of yoga and meditation in hypertension while 12.8% practised the same. On probing it was found that these 3.8% practised yoga and meditation only because their physician had advised them to do so without even knowing their benefits. This points out the importance of physician advice which can be even more effective if pros and cons are properly explained. People who were aware of the benefits were 51.9 times more likely to practise them (p<0.001). Highly significant association was observed between awareness regarding lifestyle modifications like yoga and meditation and gender, socioeconomic status, education and locality (urban non-slum/urban slum/rural).Conclusions: The complementary use of non-pharmacological treatment or lifestyle modifications like yoga and meditation can go a long way to lower blood pressure and such options need to be provided by the health care providers and the gap in awareness elicited in our study needs to be addressed.

Exploring the role of yoga and meditation in managing hypertension: Insights from a hospital-based cross-sectional study in Uttar Pradesh

“…This study individuals aged 30-59 years, a demographic typically associated with peak economic productivity. Intriguingly, the prevalence of hypertension was lowest among the younger age groups, a trend in line with findings from studies conducted in Jamnagar city [18] . The majority of patients were female, a consistent pattern observed across diverse regions such as Turkey, India, the USA, and Nigeria, aligning with previous research [19,22] .…”

“…In our study, we found that patients who practiced yoga and/or meditation demonstrated lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) compared to non-practicing patients, with reductions of 8.7 mmHg and 6.4 mmHg, respectively, which proved to be statistically significant. Similarly, a study conducted in Gujarat reported a significant decrease in SBP, although the reduction in DBP was not statistically significant [18] . In a randomized controlled trial by Saptharishi L et al, the intervention of yoga alone resulted in a reduction of 2 mmHg in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and 2.9 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [24] .…”

Exploring knowledge, attitude and practice regarding yoga among patients attending cardiology and neurology clinics in a tertiary care hospital in northern India

“…31 A hospital-based cross-sectional study on yoga and meditation in patients of hypertension in western India also reported poor practice (12.8%). 32 Another study reported about one-fifth (19.8%) of patients with epilepsy were practising yoga. 17 As per a recent nationwide survey, only 11.8% of the respondents practised yoga, hence there exists a similar knowledge practice gap throughout the country.…”