Assessment of awareness and attitudes toward yoga as a preventive health practice among rural pharmacy students

• Author Details:   
• Dipali Vikas Mane ^*
• Ujwala Dubey
• Pankaj Ramdas Khuspe
• Nagnath Konapure
• Aboli Mundphane

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Background: Yoga has garnered significant reputation as a preventative and promotive healthcare activity. Even while yoga is widely accepted, little is known about its awareness and attitudes among students studying rural health sciences, especially pharmacy students who will eventually contribute to healthcare.

Aim & Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate rural pharmacy students in Malshiras Taluka, Solapur District, Maharashtra, regarding their knowledge, attitudes and perceived advantages of yoga.

Materials and Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate rural pharmacy students in Malshiras Taluka, Solapur District, Maharashtra, regarding their knowledge, attitudes and perceived advantages of yoga.

Results: 88% (n=220) of the 250 participants have heard of yoga. However, just 12.8% (n=32) reported doing yoga every day and only 35.2% (n=88) said they did it at least once a week. In terms of awareness, 46% (n=115) were aware of yogas benefits for mental health, while 64% (n=160) could accurately identify it as a preventative health exercise. In terms of mindset, 71.6% (n=179) thought yoga may help people focus better and feel less stressed. Lack of time was the most frequent reason for not practicing (52%), followed by inadequate direction (38%) and low motivation (34%).

Conclusion: The results show that rural pharmacy students have a relatively high awareness level but a low frequency of regular yoga practice. To change attitudes and encourage the use of yoga as a preventative health strategy, educational interventions, organised yoga training programs and curriculum integration are advised.