The Effectiveness of Healthy Lifestyle Education Combined with Yoga Therapy on Self-Care Behaviors and Daily Physical Activity Levels in Overweight Individuals at Risk of Developing Diabetes

Authors

    Maryam Abdolkarimy Nazary Ph.D. student in Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
    Mojgan Agahheris * Associate Professor in Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran m_agah@pnu.ac.ir
    Ezzatolah Kordmirza Nikoozadeh Professor in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
    Mahdieh Rahmanian Associate Professor in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
    Amir Abdolhoseini Assistant Professor in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

Keywords:

healthy lifestyle, yoga therapy, diabetes self-care, physical activity, prediabetes, overweight

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle education combined with yoga therapy on self-care behaviors and daily physical activity levels in overweight individuals at risk of developing diabetes. This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of overweight individuals at risk of developing diabetes. After meeting the inclusion criteria, participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received healthy lifestyle education combined with yoga therapy over 10 sessions, while the control group remained on the waiting list. Data were collected using the Diabetes Self-Care Questionnaire and daily physical activity indicators and were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. The results showed that healthy lifestyle education combined with yoga therapy had a significant effect on improving self-care behaviors and increasing daily physical activity levels in the experimental group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). These changes also persisted at the follow-up stage, indicating the stability of the intervention effects. The findings suggest that healthy lifestyle education combined with yoga therapy can improve self-care behaviors and daily physical activity levels in overweight individuals at risk of developing diabetes by enhancing health awareness, increasing individual responsibility, and encouraging regular physical activity. Therefore, the use of this intervention is recommended as a complementary strategy in diabetes prevention programs.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bakshi, S., & Srivastava, A. (2024). Neurobiological understanding of yoga and mindfulness: Effects on neuronal function, stress, and well-being. Biomedicines, 12(11), 2613. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12112613

Balasubramaniam, M., Telles, S., & Doraiswamy, P. M. (2013). Yoga on our minds: A systematic review of yoga for neuropsychiatric disorders. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 3, 117. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00117

Bean, C., Dineen, T., & Jung, M. E. (2020). It's a life thing, not a few months thing: Profiling patterns of the physical activity change process and associated strategies of women with prediabetes over 1 year. Canadian Journal of Diabetes, 44(8), 701-710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2020.09.001

Haghdoost, A. A., Rezazadeh Kermani, M., & Sadeghi, M. (2023). Evaluation of the diabetes care cascade and compliance with WHO global coverage targets in Iran based on STEPS survey 2021. Scientific reports, 13, 13546. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39433-7

Harrison, S., Craft, L. L., & Quinn, T. D. (2022). A preliminary investigation of yoga as an intervention approach for improving long-term weight loss: A randomized trial. PLoS One, 17(2), e0263405. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263405

Jayawardena, R., Ranasinghe, P., Chathuranga, T., Atapattu, P. M., & Misra, A. (2019). The effect of yoga practice on glycemic control and other health parameters in the prediabetic state: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 14(10), e0221067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221067

Joshi, H. B., Nair, A. S., Bellave, R., Hebbar, K. R., Nayak, A., Manjunath, N. K., Umakanth, S., Hadapad, B., & Joshi, M. B. (2025). Role of yoga in distinctly targeting modifiable risk factors in type 2 diabetes to improve immuno-metabolic axis. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 24. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X251345730

Jyotsna, R. N., Ambekar, S., & Singla, R. (2023). Effect of yoga and walking on glycemic control for the management of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies, 38(2), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.15605/jafes.038.02.2647

Kim, E., Kim, S., & Ha, J. (2022). Effect of a self-care promoting program on engagement in self-care behaviors and health-related outcomes among persons with type 2 diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. BMC Nursing. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11211747/

Klos, L., Stratton, G., Mackintosh, K. A., McNarry, M. A., Fogelholm, M., Drummen, M., & Swindell, N. (2024). Combining diaries and accelerometers to explain change in physical activity during a lifestyle intervention for adults with pre-diabetes: A PREVIEW sub-study. PLoS One, 19(3), e0300646. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300646

Knowler, W. C., Barrett-Connor, E., Fowler, S. E., Hamman, R. F., Lachin, J. M., Walker, E. A., & Nathan, D. M. (2002). Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. New England Journal of Medicine, 346(6), 393-403. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa012512

Miller, C. K., King, D., Nagaraja, H. N., Fujita, K., & Cheavens, J. S. (2024). Does intervention sequence impact self-regulatory and behavioral outcomes in an adaptive trial among adults with prediabetes? Health Psychology Open, 12(1), 2385490. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2024.2385490

Nagarathna, R., Bali, P., Anand, A., Srivastava, V., Patil, S., Telles, S., & Nagendra, H. (2021). Effectiveness of a yoga-based lifestyle protocol (YLP) in preventing diabetes in a high-risk Indian cohort: A multicenter cluster-randomized controlled trial (NMB-Trial). Frontiers in Endocrinology, 12, 664657. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.664657

Popoviciu, M. S., Marin, C. M., & Vesa, C. M. (2025). The impact of yoga as an adjunct to standard care on glycemic control, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and quality of life in individuals with or at risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PubMed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40993952/

Ramamoorthi, R., Gahreman, D., Skinner, T., & Moss, S. (2019). The effect of yoga practice on glycemic control and other health parameters in the prediabetic state: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One, 14(10), e0221067. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221067

Ranganathan, P., Bhattacharya, S., & Mukari, S. (2022). Psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune mechanisms of action of yoga in type II diabetes. Ancient Science of Life. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4623627/

Ranjbar, F., Karimi, M., Zare, E., Ghahremani, L., & Hassanzadeh, J. (2024). The effect of educational intervention based on the behavioral reasoning theory on self-management behaviors in type 2 diabetes patients: A randomized controlled trial. BMC public health, 24, 1761. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19207-0

Sadeghi, S., Mahani, F., Amiri, P., Alamdari, S., Khalili, D., Saadat, N., & Azizi, F. (2023). Barriers toward the national program for prevention and control of diabetes in Iran: A qualitative exploration. International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 12, 6908. https://doi.org/10.34172/ijhpm.2022.6908

Saeed, M. F., Khatun, M. M., & Akhter, T. (2022). Effects of yoga on blood glucose and lipid profile of type 2 diabetes patients without complications: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 4, 900815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.900815

Sherman, S. A., Quinn, T. D., & Erickson, K. I. (2024). Perceived delivery of essential yoga properties within in-person and remote weight loss maintenance interventions. PLoS One, 19(3), e0300105. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300105

Signore, A. K., Jung, M. E., Semenchuk, B., Kullman, S. M., Tefft, O., Webber, S., & Strachan, S. (2022). A pilot and feasibility study of a randomized clinical trial testing a self-compassion intervention aimed to increase physical activity behaviour among people with prediabetes. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-022-01072-6

Tandon, N., Anjana, R. M., Mohan, V., Kaur, T., Afsana, K., Bhardwaj, P., & Bhansali, A. (2021). Mechanism of action of yoga on prevention and management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: Narrative review. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 28, 414-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.07.023

Wierdsma, A. I., Heine, M., & Westerman, M. J. (2022). Facilitators and barriers for lifestyle change in people with prediabetes: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. BMC Endocrine Disorders, 22(1), 68. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8935766/

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

2026-07-20

Submitted

2026-04-09

Revised

2026-06-27

Accepted

2026-07-02

Issue

Section

Health Psychology

Categories

How to Cite

Abdolkarimy Nazary, M., Agahheris, M., Kordmirza Nikoozadeh, E., Rahmanian, M., & Abdolhoseini, A. (2026). The Effectiveness of Healthy Lifestyle Education Combined with Yoga Therapy on Self-Care Behaviors and Daily Physical Activity Levels in Overweight Individuals at Risk of Developing Diabetes. KMAN Counseling & Psychology Nexus, 4, 1-12. https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/psychnexus/article/view/5742