The Effects of Yoga Exercises in Overweight and Obese Women

Summary

Obesity has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an abnormal accumulation of fat in the body that negatively affects health and has been reported to be the most significant public health problem of the 21st century. In the late 1990s, WHO described obesity as a "global epidemic." This epidemic and its associated complications cause the death of 2.8 million adults annually. Additionally, obesity imposes a significant financial burden on countries' healthcare and social security systems. Therefore, obesity stands out as an issue that requires urgent preventive measures.

Obesity is associated with various abnormalities in respiratory functions. Changes in respiratory system mechanics due to decreased lung volumes indicate a strong link between obesity and chronic respiratory diseases. Furthermore, obesity is a risk factor for conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.

Yoga is known to have numerous positive effects on health and can provide significant benefits, particularly in improving respiratory functions. Yoga is also an important tool for coping with stress, which can positively influence the respiratory system. It has been reported that yoga reduces the impact of stress on respiratory rate, promoting deep breathing and relaxation.

Some studies on the effects of yoga on obesity have not reached significant conclusions. A study comparing the effects of Vinyasa and Hatha yoga on obesity management found that neither type had a significant effect on metabolism. These studies fail to fully explain the mechanism by which yoga affects obesity due to differences in yoga styles and their lack of standardization, variations in practice durations, and the differing characteristics of study populations. Furthermore, studies on obesity and yoga often have short intervention durations (an average of 8 weeks), with most involving 60-90 minute sessions conducted 1-2 times per week.

Since longer-term studies are needed to better understand the relationship between obesity and yoga, this study aims to investigate the effects of yoga exercises on body composition, respiratory parameters, functional level, sleep quality, quality of life, and emotional state in overweight and obese women.

Conditions

• Overweight and Obese Women

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

yoga exercises

The yoga program, based on Hatha yoga content, will be conducted in groups of 10 participants, for 12 weeks, 3 days a week, at the same time each day (12:00-13:00), and will be administered by an experienced physiotherapist (Appendix 4). Before starting the training program, the exercise group will be given a one-week adaptation period, during which the exercises to be performed in three sessions per week will be taught. Participants in the exercise group who miss sessions for various reasons will be given an additional one-week period to make up for missed sessions. Participants who miss more than four sessions will be excluded from the study. Participants were informed in advance about any personal items they might need before each yoga session (such as towels, tissues, etc.) and were advised to bring their own. The yoga sessions were held in the sports hall of the Artvin Çoruh Dormitory, where the required equipment for yoga (e.g., mats, blocks) was provided. The yoga program was

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ondokuz Mayıs University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-06-01

Primary Completion

2025-08-15

Completion

2025-10-01