Teachers of the Alexander Technique in the UK and the people who take their lessons: A national cross-sectional survey

TY - JOUR

T1 - Teachers of the Alexander Technique in the UK and the people who take their lessons

T2 - A national cross-sectional survey

AU - Eldred, J

AU - Hopton, A

AU - Donnison, E

AU - Woodman, J

AU - MacPherson, H

N1 - Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2015/6

Y1 - 2015/6

N2 - OBJECTIVES: Given the rising profile of the Alexander Technique in the UK, there is a need for a comprehensive description of its teachers and of those who currently take lessons. In a national survey of Alexander teachers, we set out to address this information gap.DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of 871 UK members of three main Alexander Technique teachers' professional associations was conducted. A questionnaire requested information about their professional background, teaching practice and methods, and about the people who attend lessons and their reasons for seeking help.RESULTS: With an overall response rate of 61%, 534 teachers responded; 74% were female with median age of 58 years, 60% had a higher education qualification, and 95% were self-employed, many with additional non-Alexander paid employment. The majority (87%) offered lessons on their own premises or in a privately rented room, and 19% provided home visits; both individual and group lessons were provided. People who took lessons were predominantly female (66%) with a median age of 48 years, and 91% paid for their lessons privately. Nearly two-thirds (62%) began lessons for reasons related to musculoskeletal conditions, including back symptoms, posture, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Other reasons were general (18%, including well-being), performance-related (10%, including voice-, music-, and sport-related), psychological (5%) and neurological (3%). We estimate that Alexander teachers in the UK provide approximately 400,000 lessons per year.CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an overview of Alexander Technique teaching in the UK today and data that may be useful when planning future research.

AB - OBJECTIVES: Given the rising profile of the Alexander Technique in the UK, there is a need for a comprehensive description of its teachers and of those who currently take lessons. In a national survey of Alexander teachers, we set out to address this information gap.DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey of 871 UK members of three main Alexander Technique teachers' professional associations was conducted. A questionnaire requested information about their professional background, teaching practice and methods, and about the people who attend lessons and their reasons for seeking help.RESULTS: With an overall response rate of 61%, 534 teachers responded; 74% were female with median age of 58 years, 60% had a higher education qualification, and 95% were self-employed, many with additional non-Alexander paid employment. The majority (87%) offered lessons on their own premises or in a privately rented room, and 19% provided home visits; both individual and group lessons were provided. People who took lessons were predominantly female (66%) with a median age of 48 years, and 91% paid for their lessons privately. Nearly two-thirds (62%) began lessons for reasons related to musculoskeletal conditions, including back symptoms, posture, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Other reasons were general (18%, including well-being), performance-related (10%, including voice-, music-, and sport-related), psychological (5%) and neurological (3%). We estimate that Alexander teachers in the UK provide approximately 400,000 lessons per year.CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an overview of Alexander Technique teaching in the UK today and data that may be useful when planning future research.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Cross-Sectional Studies

KW - Exercise Therapy

KW - Female

KW - Great Britain

KW - Health Personnel

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

U2 - 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.04.006

DO - 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.04.006

M3 - Article

C2 - 26051581

SN - 0965-2299

VL - 23

SP - 451

EP - 461

JO - Complementary Therapies in Medicine

JF - Complementary Therapies in Medicine

IS - 3

ER -