COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF MENTAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND LIFESTYLE CHARACTERISTICS AMONG ADULTS ENGAGED IN YOGA AND SPORTS

Abstract

Yoga and sports are widely practiced forms of physical activity that may influence mental health and lifestyle through different behavioural and psychological pathways. This study compared mental health, physical activity, and lifestyle characteristics among adults engaged in Yoga and Sports. A comparative cross-sectional secondary-data analysis was conducted using 91 adults selected from a publicly available Kaggle dataset. The final sample included 45 Yoga participants and 46 Sports participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, including the Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, Spearman correlation, Cohen’s d, and regression.  No statistically significant differences were found between Yoga and Sports participants in daily steps, exercise frequency, exercise duration, sleep, screen time, diet quality, social interaction, stress, anxiety, depression, happiness, or overall mental-health score. Sports participants showed slightly higher daily steps, happiness, and mental-health scores, whereas Yoga participants showed somewhat longer exercise duration and more sleep. Screen time was positively associated with anxiety and remained a significant predictor of anxiety in regression analysis. Exercise type did not independently predict overall mental-health score. Yoga and Sports participants demonstrated broadly comparable physical activity, lifestyle, and mental-health profiles. Both activities may be suitable for adult health promotion, while screen-related behaviour may warrant greater attention in relation to anxiety.