Prevalence and 20-year trends in meditation, yoga, guided imagery and progressive relaxation use among US adults from 2002 to 2022.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Repeated cross-sectional survey analysis across five cycles of national surveillance data
PubMed 38951149 · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-64562-y
What was done
Analyzed 20-year trends (2002–2022) and sociodemographic associations for the use of meditation, yoga, guided imagery, and progressive relaxation among US adults using a population-weighted analysis across five cycles of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS, n = 134,959).
What was found
Use of all practices increased significantly between 2002 and 2022, reaching 18.3% (60.53 million) for meditation, 16.8% (55.78 million) for yoga, and 6.7% (22.22 million) for guided imagery/progressive relaxation. Higher use across all practices was observed in individuals of 'Other' race (54% Indigenous Americans; ORs = 1.28–1.70) and those with moderate psychological distress (ORs = 1.19–1.29). Severe psychological distress was associated with increased use of meditation (OR = 1.33) and guided imagery/progressive relaxation (OR = 1.42). Growth in meditation use was fastest among adults aged 65 and older (OR = 4.22), those with lower education levels (OR = 4.02), and individuals not accessing conventional mental health care (OR = 1.39).
Why it matters
Mind-body practices have expanded substantially across the US population, particularly among individuals experiencing psychological distress or lacking access to conventional mental health care, suggesting these modalities frequently serve as self-directed strategies for unmet needs.
Limits
The study relies on self-reported survey responses prone to recall bias. The cross-sectional design cannot evaluate causality, therapeutic efficacy, practice frequency, dose, or specific clinical outcomes.