Evaluating the impact of a brief yoga intervention on preadolescents’ body image and mood

Halliwell, Emma; Jarman, Hannah; Slater, Amy; Tylka, Tracy L.

Abstract

Yoga is an embodying activity that promotes body awareness, body connection, body responsiveness, and appreciation of body functionality, and it therefore may be a beneficial school-based intervention for children’s body image. The present study examined the impact of a 4-week yoga intervention on pre-adolescent girls’ and boys’ body image (body appreciation, body esteem, and body surveillance) and mood (positive and negative affect) 1-week post-intervention and at 6-week follow-up. British children (N = 344; 54.4% female) aged 9-11 years were recruited from four schools, two of which were randomly assigned to the yoga intervention and two to a physical education control condition. Unexpectedly, both groups increased body appreciation, body esteem, and positive mood, and decreased body surveillance and negative affect from baseline to post-intervention and/or follow-up. Children in the yoga intervention evaluated the sessions very favourably; the majority desired to participate in more lessons. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 11, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Oct 22, 2018
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Jan 16, 2019
• Journal: Body Image
• Print ISSN: 1740-1445
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Pages: 196-201
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.10.003
• Keywords: body image
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/856088
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.10.003
• Additional Information: Additional Information : This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published version is available here: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.10.003
• Contract Date: Jan 16, 2019