| Abstract: | Yoga is a kind of exercise to balance people?s physics and spirits. For the busy modern human, such a kind slow activity does not only improve plays? physical health, but also mental health. Because it can be play at any place, this activity gradually become a popular exercise. Short Form-36 (SF-36) is a form recognized by World Health Organization to access people?s health. To review the past yoga?s research, most of them were to introduce yoga to help special patients, the participant?s motivations and satisfactions. There were few researches to use SF-36 as a tool to study yoga. The objectives of this research were to realize the relationships between the specialization of yoga participants and their self-assessed health by SF-36. Seven hundred seventy people were selected in this cross-sectional, descriptive study by using a structured questionnaire. Six hundred and thirty-nine valid data were used to analyze as the results, the valid corresponding rate was 83%. The surveys were conducted during the period of February to March 2008. The results of this study were the followings:
1. Most surveyed yoga participants were assessed as the primary level of specialization, the percentage was 60.6%, 27.7%, 10.5% and 1.3% of the surveyed ones were graded as new, the middle level, and the highest level of specialization, separately.
2. The relationship between gender and age of yoga participants and their self-assessed health
(1) There were no significant difference between males? yoga participants and their self-assessed health.
(2) The values of physical functioning (PF), role limitations due to physical health problems (RE), vitality (VT), mental health (MH), social functioning (SF), and general health (GH) were significantly related to females? yoga participants.
3. The relationships between the specialization of yoga participants and the self-assessed health
(1) The values of role limitations due to physical health problems (RE), vitality (VT), mental health (MH), and general health (GH) were significantly positively related to surveyed yoga participant?s specializations.
(2) The values of role limitations due to physical functioning (PF), physical health problems (RE), vitality (VT), mental health (MH), and general health (GH) were significantly positively related to surveyed female?s specializations.
4. The participant?s motivations, to improve physical health, to maintain good health condition, and to relax living pressure, were significantly related to surveyed yoga participant?s specializations.
5. The participant?s constraints, no time, the playground of yoga far away from home, and high expense, were significantly related to surveyed yoga participant?s specializations.
According to the results of this research, we can encourage people to play yoga to improve their health. |
