POSTURAL HABITS AND AWARENESS, BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN PRACTISING YOGA, PILATES, AND SEDENTARY CONTROLS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Öz

Objective: Despite the use of yoga and Pilates as health-promoting and preventive exercise approaches, there is a paucity of research investigating their effects on postural habits and postural awareness. This cross-sectional observational study aimed to compare the postural habits and awareness, along with balance, flexibility, and quality of life levels of adult females who regularly practice yoga and Pilates with those of sedentary individuals. Method: Females aged 20–40 who had never done yoga or Pilates before and had been practicing yoga (n=25) or Pilates (n=25) regularly for 3–6 months, and sedentary individuals who had and have not practiced such or any other exercises previously and currently (n=25) were recruited between December 2024 and October 2025. The level of postural habit and awareness was assessed using the Postural Habit and Awareness Scale, postural balance using the Y Balance Test, flexibility using trunk lateral flexion and sit-and-reach tests, and quality of life using the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Results: The demographic features of groups (age, height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI)) were statistically similar (p>0.05). The weekly frequency of practice was 2.37±0.93 (1–4) for the pilates group and 2.03±0.85 (1–4) for the yoga group. The postural habits sub-score in both the Pilates and yoga groups (p<0.001), and balance test values in the posterolateral and posteromedial direction in the Pilates group (p<0.05) and yoga group (p<0.001) were higher than those of the controls. No difference was determined among the groups in terms of flexibility tests and NHP scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: This cross-sectional study put forth that women who regularly practice yoga or Pilates may have more positive postural habits and posterior balance levels compared to sedentary women. We recommend conducting comprehensive interventional studies investigating the effects of yoga and Pilates on postural habits and awareness.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yoga
• Pilates-Based Exercises
• Posture
• Awareness
• Postural Balance

Etik Beyan

Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Marmara University Health Sciences Institute Ethics Committee (16.09.2024–80). All participants provided written and verbal informed consent before participation.

YOGA VE PİLATES YAPAN KADINLAR İLE SEDANTER BİREYLERDE POSTÜRAL ALIŞKANLIK VE FARKINDALIK, DENGE, ESNEKLİK VE YAŞAM KALİTESİ: KESİTSEL BİR ÇALIŞMA

Öz

Amaç: Yoga ve Pilates’in sağlığı geliştirici ve koruyucu egzersiz yaklaşımları olarak yaygın biçimde kullanılmasına rağmen, postüral alışkanlıklar ve postüral farkındalık üzerindeki etkilerini inceleyen araştırmalar sınırlıdır. Bu kesitsel gözlemsel çalışmanın amacı, düzenli olarak yoga ve Pilates yapan yetişkin kadınların postüral alışkanlık ve farkındalık düzeyleri ile denge, esneklik ve yaşam kalitesi düzeylerini sedanter bireylerle karşılaştırmaktı. Yöntem: Çalışmaya Aralık 2024 ve Ekim 2025 tarihlerinde 20-40 yaş aralığında, daha önce yoga ya da Pilates yapmamış, 3-6 aydır düzenli yoga (n=25) veya Pilates (n=25) yapan kadınlar ile bu tür egzersizleri daha önce ve güncel olarak yapmayan sedanter bireyler (n=25) dahil edildi. Postüral alışkanlık ve farkındalık düzeyi Postüral Alışkanlık ve Farkındalık Ölçeği ile, postüral denge düzeyi Y Denge Testi ile, esneklik düzeyi gövde lateral fleksiyon ve otur-uzan testleri ile, yaşam kalitesi düzeyi ise Nottingham Sağlık Profili (NSP) ile değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Grupların demografik özellikleri (yaş, boy, vücut ağırlığı ve vücut kitle indeksi (BMI)) istatistiksel olarak benzerdi (p>0,05). Haftalık uygulama sıklığı pilates grubunun 2.37±0.93 (1-4), yoga grubunun ise 2.03±0.85 (1-4) olduğu belirlendi. Hem Pilates hem de yoga gruplarında postüral alışkanlıklar alt puanı (p<0.001) ve Pilates grubunda (p<0.05) ve yoga grubunda (p<0.001) posterolateral ve posteromedial yöndeki denge testi değerleri kontrol grubuna göre daha yüksekti. Esneklik testleri ve NSP puanları açısından gruplar arasında fark belirlenmedi (p>0.05). Sonuç: Bu kesitsel çalışma, düzenli olarak yoga veya Pilates yapan kadınların sedanter kadınlara kıyasla daha olumlu postüral alışkanlıklara ve daha iyi posterior denge düzeylerine sahip olabileceğini gösterdi. Yoga ve Pilates’in postüral alışkanlık ve farkındalık üzerindeki etkilerini inceleyen kapsamlı müdahale çalışmalarına ihtiyaç vardır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Yoga
• Pilates Temelli Egzersizler
• Postür
• Farkındalık
• Postüral Denge

Etik Beyan

Çalışma için Marmara Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü Etik Kurulu'ndan etik onay alınmıştır (16.09.2024–80). Tüm katılımcılar çalışmaya katılmadan önce yazılı ve sözlü bilgilendirilmiş onam vermişlerdir.

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