1 73 234 A GROUP-BASED YOGA PROGRAM FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN AMBULATORY WOMEN: FEASIBILITY, TOLERABILITY, AND CHANGE IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY OVER 3 MONTHS IN A SINGLE-CENTER RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: BECAUSE OF THE LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING CLINICAL TREATMENTS FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE, MANY WOMEN WITH INCONTINENCE ARE INTERESTED IN COMPLEMENTARY STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING THEIR SYMPTOMS. YOGA HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED AS A BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR INCONTINENCE, BUT EVIDENCE OF ITS FEASIBILITY, TOLERABILITY, AND EFFICACY IS LACKING. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND TOLERABILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR AMBULATORY MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN WITH INCONTINENCE, AND TO EXAMINE PRELIMINARY CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AS THE PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOME AFTER 3 MONTHS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AMBULATORY WOMEN AGED 50 YEARS OR OLDER WHO REPORTED AT LEAST DAILY STRESS-, URGENCY-, OR MIXED-TYPE INCONTINENCE, WERE NOT ALREADY ENGAGED IN YOGA, AND WERE WILLING TO TEMPORARILY FORGO CLINICAL INCONTINENCE TREATMENTS WERE RECRUITED INTO A RANDOMIZED TRIAL IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA. WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TAKE PART IN A PROGRAM OF TWICE-WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES AND ONCE-WEEKLY HOME PRACTICE FOCUSED ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES SELECTED BY AN EXPERT YOGA PANEL (YOGA GROUP), OR A NONSPECIFIC MUSCLE STRETCHING AND STRENGTHENING PROGRAM DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A RIGOROUS TIME-AND-ATTENTION CONTROL (CONTROL GROUP) FOR 3 MONTHS. ALL PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN, EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION ABOUT BEHAVIORAL INCONTINENCE SELF-MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES (PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES, BLADDER TRAINING) CONSISTENT WITH USUAL FIRST-LINE CARE. INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AND TYPE WERE ASSESSED BY VALIDATED VOIDING DIARIES. ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE MODELS EXAMINED WITHIN- AND BETWEEN-GROUP CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AS THE PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOME OVER 3 MONTHS. RESULTS: OF THE 56 WOMEN RANDOMIZED (28 TO YOGA, 28 TO CONTROL), THE MEAN AGE WAS 65.4 (+/-8.1) YEARS (RANGE, 55-83 YEARS), THE MEAN BASELINE INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY WAS 3.5 (+/-2.0) EPISODES/D, AND 37 WOMEN (66%) HAD URGENCY-PREDOMINANT INCONTINENCE. A TOTAL OF 50 WOMEN COMPLETED THEIR ASSIGNED 3-MONTH INTERVENTION PROGRAM (89%), INCLUDING 27 IN THE YOGA AND 23 IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .19). OF THOSE, 24 (89%) IN THE YOGA AND 20 (87%) IN THE CONTROL GROUP ATTENDED AT LEAST 80% OF GROUP CLASSES. OVER 3 MONTHS, TOTAL INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DECREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 76% FROM BASELINE IN THE YOGA AND 56% IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = .07 FOR BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE). STRESS INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY ALSO DECREASED BY AN AVERAGE OF 61% IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 35% IN CONTROLS (P = .045 FOR BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE), BUT CHANGES IN URGENCY INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY BETWEEN GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 48 NONSERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED, INCLUDING 23 IN THE YOGA AND 25 IN THE CONTROL GROUP, BUT NONE WERE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO YOGA OR CONTROL PROGRAM PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING INCONTINENT WOMEN ACROSS THE AGING SPECTRUM INTO A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM, AND PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF REDUCTION IN TOTAL AND STRESS-TYPE INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY AFTER 3 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE. WHEN TAUGHT WITH ATTENTION TO WOMEN'S CLINICAL NEEDS, YOGA MAY OFFER A POTENTIAL COMMUNITY-BASED BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY FOR INCONTINENCE TO ENHANCE CLINICAL TREATMENT, ALTHOUGH FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD ASSESS WHETHER YOGA OFFERS UNIQUE BENEFITS FOR INCONTINENCE ABOVE AND BEYOND OTHER PHYSICAL ACTIVITY-BASED INTERVENTIONS. 2019 2 2644 50 YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A GENTLE YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH URGENCY URINARY INCONTINENCE (UUI). ALSO, THESE PRELIMINARY DATA CAN EVALUATE IF YOGA IMPROVES SYMPTOM BURDEN, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS FOR WOMEN WITH UUI. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE NONRANDOMIZED SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TWICE-WEEKLY, 8-WEEK GENTLE YOGA INTERVENTION TO REDUCE UUI SYMPTOM BURDEN. CHANGES IN SYMPTOM BURDEN WERE MEASURED USING THE PELVIC FLOOR DISTRESS INVENTORY 20. SECONDARY MEASURES INCLUDED QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, STRESS, ANXIETY, AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS. OUTCOMES WERE EVALUATED WITH PAIRED T TESTING. RESULTS: TWELVE WOMEN COMPLETED THE YOGA INTERVENTION WITH NO ADVERSE OUTCOMES NOTED. URGENCY SYMPTOM BURDEN WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AFTER THE INTERVENTION (P = 0.01), AND WOMEN REPORTED AN INCREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE (P = 0.04) AFTER THE YOGA INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING THE YOGA INTERVENTION, THE MAJORITY OF WOMEN REPORTED SYMPTOMS AS "MUCH BETTER" (N = 4 [33%]) AND "A LITTLE BETTER" (N = 5 [42%]), WITH 3 WOMEN (25%) REPORTING "NO CHANGE." WOMEN ALSO REPORTED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (P = 0.03) AND BETTER QUALITY OF SLEEP (P = 0.03). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE FOUND IN ANXIETY OR STRESS PERCEPTION. PLASMA LEVELS OF THE INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKER TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR ALPHA WERE REDUCED AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION (P = 0.009); HOWEVER, NO SIGNIFICANT POSTYOGA CHANGES WERE FOUND FOR INTERLEUKIN 6 OR C-REACTIVE PROTEIN. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA IS A FEASIBLE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT REDUCES INCONTINENCE SYMPTOM BURDEN, ALONG WITH IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP QUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, YOGA MAY LOWER INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS ASSOCIATED WITH INCONTINENCE. 2021 3 1242 64 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 4 1997 68 STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING SELF-EFFICACY AND OBSERVED SUCCESS IN THE PRACTICE OF YOGA POSTURES FOR THERAPEUTIC INDICATIONS: METHODS FROM A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE AMONG MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN. BACKGROUND: MOST CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING YOGA LACK ADEQUATE DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC YOGA ELEMENTS, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES. FEW STUDIES HAVE MEASURED SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING THE PERFORMANCE OF YOGA POSTURES OR ASSESSED OBSERVED SUCCESS IN PERFORMING POSTURES. METHODS: WE DEVELOPED AND PILOTED SEVERAL TOOLS TO EVALUATE SELF-EFFICACY AND OBSERVED SUCCESS IN PRACTICING YOGA IN THE CONTEXT OF A RANDOMIZED FEASIBILITY TRIAL OF AN IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN AMBULATORY WOMEN >/=50 YEARS. AT THE END OF THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION INVOLVING TWICE WEEKLY GROUP YOGA CLASSES AND ONCE WEEKLY HOME PRACTICE, PARTICIPANTS RATED THEIR SELF-EFFICACY IN PERFORMING EACH OF THE INCLUDED 15 YOGA POSTURES ON A 5-POINT LIKERT SCALE. DURING THE 12TH WEEK, AN EXPERT YOGA CONSULTANT OBSERVED PARTICIPANTS AND RATED THEIR COMPETENCY IN PERFORMING POSTURES ON A 5-POINT SCALE. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT SELF-EFFICACY IN ADHERING TO HOME YOGA PRACTICE. WE EXAMINED THE DISTRIBUTION OF AND CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SCORES ON THE ABOVE MEASURES. RESULTS: AMONG 27 PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE 65 YEARS), THE RANGE OF MEANS FOR SELF-EFFICACY RATINGS FOR INDIVIDUAL POSTURES WAS 3.6 TO 4.5. THE RANGE OF MEANS FOR OBSERVED COMPETENCY RATINGS FOR INDIVIDUAL POSTURES WAS 3.3 TO 5.0. MEAN SELF-EFFICACY RATING FOR CONFIDENCE IN ADHERING TO THE ASSIGNED ONCE-WEEKLY HOME YOGA PRACTICE WAS 2.8 (RANGE 1 TO 5). POSTURE SELF-EFFICACY WAS INVERSELY CORRELATED WITH PARTICIPANT AGE (P = 0.01) AND POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL FUNCTION (P = 0.03) AND MOBILITY (P = 0.01). NO SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN POSTURE SELF-EFFICACY SCALE SCORES AND EXPERT-OBSERVED YOGA COMPETENCY RATINGS OR PRACTICE ADHERENCE SELF-EFFICACY SCORES. CONCLUSIONS: THESE MEASURES HOLD PROMISE FOR ADVANCING YOGA RESEARCH AND PRACTICE BY DESCRIBING METHODS TO: 1) MEASURE SELF-EFFICACY IN PERFORMING SPECIFIC YOGA POSTURES; 2) USE AN EXPERT OBSERVER TO ASSESS PARTICIPANTS' COMPETENCE IN PERFORMING YOGA POSTURES; AND 3) MEASURE SELF-EFFICACY IN ADHERING TO HOME PRACTICE. THESE PROPOSED MEASURES CAN BE USED TO DESCRIBE SPECIFIC COMPONENTS OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS, TO ASSESS WHETHER STUDY PARTICIPANTS ARE ABLE TO LEARN TO PRACTICE PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF YOGA AND/OR MAINTAIN THIS PRACTICE OVER TIME, AS WELL AS TO INVESTIGATE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SELF-EFFICACY AND COMPETENCY IN PERFORMING YOGA POSTURES TO ACHIEVE SPECIFIC HEALTH OUTCOMES. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, NCT02342678, JANUARY 21, 2015. 2020 5 498 44 COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. AIM: URINARY INCONTINENCE IS A MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM AMONG MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN. PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY INTERVENTIONS, BUT DIFFICULTY PERFORMING THIS EXERCISE HAS LED RESEARCHERS TO SEEK ALTERNATIVE OR CONJUNCTIVE EXERCISE. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON URINARY INCONTINENCE. METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP PRE-/POST-TEST DESIGN WAS USED. SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN SEOUL, KOREA, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED. FIFTY-FIVE WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN THE FIRST DAY OF THE PROGRAM, 34 OF WHOM COMPLETED THE 8 WEEK, TWICE WEEKLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM. URINARY INCONTINENCE WAS MEASURED BY FIVE DOMAINS OF URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS: FILLING FACTOR, VOIDING FACTOR, INCONTINENCE FACTOR, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. ALSO MEASURED WERE ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND IN ATTITUDE TOWARD PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE, PELVIC MUSCLE STRENGTH, AND INCONTINENCE FACTOR. DAILY PERFORMANCE OF PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH IMPROVED INCONTINENCE FACTOR AND WITH QUALITY OF LIFE RELATED TO URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS. CONCLUSION: A COMBINED PELVIC MUSCLE EXERCISE AND YOGA PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING OVERALL URINARY INCONTINENCE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ATTENDEES IN KOREA. FURTHER STUDY IS NEEDED WITH A CONTROL GROUP, DIFFERENT POPULATIONS, AND A LONGER INTERVENTION PERIOD. 2015 6 2811 51 YOGA TO PREVENT MOBILITY LIMITATIONS IN OLDER ADULTS: FEASIBILITY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE LOSS OF MOBILITY DURING AGING IMPACTS INDEPENDENCE AND LEADS TO FURTHER DISABILITY, MORBIDITY, AND REDUCED LIFE EXPECTANCY. OUR OBJECTIVE WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND SAFETY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY LIMITATIONS. METHODS: SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS (N = 46; AGE 60-89) WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A HEALTH EDUCATION COMPARISON GROUP. YOGA SESSIONS (60-MIN) OCCURRED 2X WEEKLY, AND 90-MIN HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS OCCURRED WEEKLY, FOR 10 WEEKS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE RECRUITMENT RATE, INTERVENTION ATTENDANCE, AND RETENTION AT ASSESSMENTS. ADVERSE EVENT RATES AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE ALSO MEASURED. PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF GAIT, BALANCE, AND STRENGTH AND SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE AND 10-WEEKS. RESULTS: RECRUITMENT LASTED 6 MONTHS. RETENTION OF PARTICIPANTS AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP WAS HIGH (89% - PERFORMANCE MEASURES; 98% - SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES). ATTENDANCE WAS GOOD WITH 82% OF YOGA AND 74% OF HEALTH EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING AT LEAST 50% OF THE SESSIONS. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. PATIENT SATISFACTION WITH THE INTERVENTIONS WAS HIGH. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR THE PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE MEASURES WAS 0.35 WITH SOME OVER 0.50. THE MEAN EFFECT SIZE FOR SELF-REPORT OUTCOME MEASURES WAS 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: RESULTS INDICATE THAT IT IS FEASIBLE TO CONDUCT A LARGER RCT OF YOGA FOR SEDENTARY OLDER ADULTS AT RISK FOR MOBILITY PROBLEMS. THE YOGA AND COMPARISON INTERVENTIONS WERE SAFE, WELL ACCEPTED, AND WELL ATTENDED. EFFECT SIZES SUGGEST YOGA MAY HAVE IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR THIS POPULATION AND SHOULD BE STUDIED FURTHER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS # NCT03544879 ; RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED 4 JUNE, 2018. 2018 7 2432 58 YOGA AND PILATES COMPARED TO PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN ELDERLY WOMEN: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: THERE IS LIMITED EVIDENCE FROM RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) REGARDING THE USE OF YOGA AND PILATES FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE (UI) IN WOMEN. THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF USING PILATES AND YOGA TO MANAGE UI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: AN ASSESSOR-BLINDED, PROSPECTIVE, THREE-ARM PARALLEL-GROUP RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN THREE ELDERLY CARE CENTRES IN HONG KONG. THIRTY WOMEN AGED 60 YEARS OR ABOVE WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. STUDY CENTRES WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EACH OF THE THREE INTERVENTIONS (YOGA, PILATES AND PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLE TRAINING [PFMT; STANDARD CARE CONTROL]). STUDY INTERVENTIONS WERE PROVIDED ONCE A WEEK FOR FOUR WEEKS, FOLLOWED BY UNSUPERVISED CD-GUIDED HOME EXERCISES FOR EIGHT WEEKS. OUTCOMES INCLUDED THE INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION ON INCONTINENCE QUESTIONNAIRE-SHORT FORM (ICIQ-SF), 1-H PAD TEST, AND FEASIBILITY MEASURES SUCH AS ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION PROGRAMME, RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES AND SAFETY. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 4 AND 12 WEEKS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED USING TWO-WAY REPEATED MEASURES ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE. RESULTS: ALL THREE INTERVENTIONS DEMONSTRATED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON ICIQ-SF SCORES FROM BASELINE TO WEEKS 4 AND 12. SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS IN UI WERE REPORTED FOR YOGA COMPARED WITH PILATES (MEAN: -2.93, 95% CI -5.35, -0.51; P = 0.02). CONCLUSION: YOGA POSES INTENDED TO ADDRESS THE PELVIC FLOOR AND CORE MUSCLES WERE FOUND TO HAVE SUPERIOR BENEFITS OVER PILATES EXERCISES IN TERMS OF IMPROVED CONTINENCE MEASURED WITH THE ICIQ-SF. 2022 8 2637 23 YOGA FOR TREATMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN. THIS IS A PROTOCOL FOR A COCHRANE REVIEW (INTERVENTION). THE OBJECTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF YOGA FOR TREATMENT OF URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN, COMPARED TO NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT, TO ANOTHER ACTIVE TREATMENT, OR TO AN ACTIVE TREATMENT WITHOUT ADJUVANT YOGA, WITH A FOCUS ON PATIENT SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. 2017 9 2628 50 YOGA FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN AND SLEEP IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, DESIGNED AND REPORTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH DELPHI RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED FROM A HOSPITAL DATABASE, AND RANDOMIZED TO EITHER EIGHT WEEKLY 75-MIN YOGA CLASSES OR A USUAL CARE CONTROL. FEASIBILITY WAS DETERMINED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, RETENTION, PROTOCOL ADHERENCE, PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION AND ADVERSE EVENTS. SECONDARY PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED USING SELF-REPORTED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE (WEEK 0), WEEK 9 (PRIMARY TIME POINT) AND WEEK 12 (FOLLOW-UP). RESULTS: OVER A 3-MONTH PERIOD, 26 PARTICIPANTS WITH MILD PAIN, MILD TO MODERATE FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND MODERATE DISEASE ACTIVITY WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY (25% RECRUITMENT RATE). RETENTION RATES WERE 100% FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND 92% FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS AT BOTH WEEKS 9 AND 12. PROTOCOL ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION WERE HIGH. YOGA PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEDIAN OF SEVEN CLASSES; ADDITIONALLY, SEVEN OF THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS (54%) REPORTED CONTINUING YOGA AT HOME DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE RELATED TO THE STUDY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES SHOWED NO GROUP EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. CONCLUSIONS: A RELAXATION-BASED YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FOUND TO BE FEASIBLE AND SAFE FOR PARTICIPANTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. ADVERSE EVENTS WERE MINOR, AND NOT UNEXPECTED FROM AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING PHYSICAL COMPONENTS. THIS PILOT PROVIDES A FRAMEWORK FOR LARGER INTERVENTION STUDIES, AND SUPPORTS FURTHER EXPLORATION OF YOGA AS A COMPLEX INTERVENTION TO ASSIST WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. 2018 10 282 54 ADHERENCE TO YOGA AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS IN A 6-MONTH CLINICAL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: TO DETERMINE FACTORS THAT PREDICT ADHERENCE TO A MIND-BODY INTERVENTION IN A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. DESIGN: WE ANALYZED ADHERENCE DATA FROM A 3-ARM TRIAL INVOLVING 135 GENERALLY HEALTHY SENIORS 65-85 YEARS OF AGE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-MONTH INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF: AN IYENGAR YOGA CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, AN EXERCISE CLASS WITH HOME PRACTICE, OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED COGNITIVE FUNCTION, MOOD, FATIGUE, ANXIETY, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PHYSICAL MEASURES. ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION WAS OBTAINED BY CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BIWEEKLY HOME PRACTICE LOGS. RESULTS: THE DROP-OUT RATE WAS 13%. AMONG THE COMPLETERS OF THE TWO ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS, AVERAGE YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 77% AND HOME PRACTICE OCCURRED 64% OF ALL DAYS. AVERAGE EXERCISE CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 69% AND HOME EXERCISE OCCURRED 54% OF ALL DAYS. THERE WERE NO CLEAR EFFECTS OF ADHERENCE ON THE SIGNIFICANT STUDY OUTCOMES (QUALITY OF LIFE AND PHYSICAL MEASURES). CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED WITH BASELINE MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, FATIGUE, AND PHYSICAL COMPONENTS OF HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN BASELINE MEASURES WERE ALSO FOUND BETWEEN STUDY COMPLETERS AND DROP-OUTS IN THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS. ADHERENCE WAS NOT RELATED TO AGE, GENDER, OR EDUCATION LEVEL. CONCLUSION: HEALTHY SENIORS HAVE GOOD ATTENDANCE AT CLASSES WITH A PHYSICALLY ACTIVE INTERVENTION. HOME PRACTICE TAKES PLACE OVER HALF OF THE TIME. DECREASED ADHERENCE TO A POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL INTERVENTION HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DECREASE THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION IN A CLINICAL TRIAL BECAUSE SUBJECTS WHO MIGHT SUSTAIN THE GREATEST BENEFIT WILL RECEIVE A LOWER DOSE OF THE INTERVENTION AND SUBJECTS WITH HIGHER ADHERENCE RATES MAY BE FUNCTIONING CLOSER TO MAXIMUM ABILITY BEFORE THE INTERVENTION. STRATEGIES TO MAXIMIZE ADHERENCE AMONG SUBJECTS AT GREATER RISK FOR LOW ADHERENCE WILL BE IMPORTANT FOR FUTURE TRIALS, ESPECIALLY COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS REQUIRING GREATER EFFORT THAN SIMPLE PILL-TAKING. 2007 11 74 84 A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN: A PILOT RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR MIDDLE-AGED AND OLDER WOMEN WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE. METHODS: WE CONDUCTED A PILOT RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF AMBULATORY WOMEN AGED 40 YEARS AND OLDER WITH STRESS, URGENCY, OR MIXED-TYPE INCONTINENCE. WOMEN WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 6-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM (N = 10) CONSISTING OF TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES AND ONCE WEEKLY HOME PRACTICE OR A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 9). ALL PARTICIPANTS ALSO RECEIVED WRITTEN PAMPHLETS ABOUT STANDARD BEHAVIORAL SELF-MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR INCONTINENCE. CHANGES IN INCONTINENCE WERE ASSESSED WITH 7-DAY VOIDING DIARIES. RESULTS: THE MEAN (SD) AGE WAS 61.4 (8.2) YEARS, AND THE MEAN BASELINE FREQUENCY OF INCONTINENCE WAS 2.5 (1.3) EPISODES/D. AFTER 6 WEEKS, THE TOTAL INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY DECREASED BY 70% (1.8 [0.9] FEWER EPISODES/D) IN THE YOGA THERAPY VERSUS 13% (0.3 [1.7] FEWER EPISODES/D) IN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.049). PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA THERAPY GROUP ALSO REPORTED AN AVERAGE OF 71% DECREASE IN STRESS INCONTINENCE FREQUENCY (0.7 [0.8] FEWER EPISODES/D) COMPARED WITH A 25% INCREASE IN CONTROLS (0.2 [1.1] MORE EPISODES/D) (P = 0.039). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN REDUCTION IN URGENCY INCONTINENCE WERE DETECTED BETWEEN THE YOGA THERAPY VERSUS CONTROL GROUPS (1.0 [1.0] VERSUS 0.5 [0.5] FEWER EPISODES/D; P = 0.20). ALL WOMEN STARTING THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM COMPLETED AT LEAST 90% OF THE GROUP CLASSES AND PRACTICE SESSIONS. TWO PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS UNRELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE FEASIBILITY, EFFICACY, AND SAFETY OF A GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE URINARY INCONTINENCE IN WOMEN. 2014 12 2222 56 THE IMPACT OF MODIFIED HATHA YOGA ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE A POSSIBLE DESIGN FOR A 6-WEEK MODIFIED HATHA YOGA PROTOCOL TO STUDY THE EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS: TWENTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (M = 4; F = 17), BETWEEN THE AGES OF 30 AND 65, WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN IMMEDIATE YOGA BASED INTERVENTION, OR TO A CONTROL GROUP WITH NO TREATMENT DURING THE OBSERVATION PERIOD BUT RECEIVED LATER YOGA TRAINING. METHODS: A SPECIFIC CLBP YOGA PROTOCOL DESIGNED AND MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR WAS ADMINISTERED FOR ONE HOUR, TWICE A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS. PRIMARY FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED THE FORWARD REACH (FR) AND SIT AND REACH (SR) TESTS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED OSWESTRY DISABILITY INDEX (ODI) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY (BDI) QUESTIONNAIRES. GUIDING QUESTIONS WERE USED FOR QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS TO ASCERTAIN HOW YOGA PARTICIPANTS PERCEIVED THE INSTRUCTOR, GROUP DYNAMICS, AND THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON THEIR LIFE. ANALYSIS: TO ACCOUNT FOR DROP OUTS, THE DATA WERE DIVIDED INTO BETTER OR NOT CATEGORIES, AND ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARE TO EXAMINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE ANALYZED THROUGH FREQUENCY OF POSITIVE RESPONSES. RESULTS: POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT TRENDS IN THE FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT SCORES SHOWED IMPROVED BALANCE AND FLEXIBILITY AND DECREASED DISABILITY AND DEPRESSION FOR THE YOGA GROUP BUT THIS PILOT WAS NOT POWERED TO REACH STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. SIGNIFICANT LIMITATIONS INCLUDED A HIGH DROPOUT RATE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND LARGE BASELINE DIFFERENCES IN THE SECONDARY MEASURES. IN ADDITION, ANALYSIS OF THE QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE FOLLOWING FREQUENCY OF RESPONSES (1) GROUP INTERVENTION MOTIVATED THE PARTICIPANTS AND (2) YOGA FOSTERED RELAXATION AND NEW AWARENESS/LEARNING. CONCLUSION: A MODIFIED YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION MAY BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH CLB, BUT A LARGER STUDY IS NECESSARY TO PROVIDE DEFINITIVE EVIDENCE. ALSO, THE IMPACT ON DEPRESSION AND DISABILITY COULD BE CONSIDERED AS IMPORTANT OUTCOMES FOR FURTHER STUDY. ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME MEASURES SHOULD BE EXPLORED. THIS PILOT STUDY SUPPORTS THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF YOGA FOR THIS POPULATION. 2004 13 1902 51 RESTORATIVE YOGA IN ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: METABOLIC SYNDROME INCREASES THE RISK OF DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE. YOGA IMPROVES SOME METABOLIC PARAMETERS, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED IN PERSONS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. WE CONDUCTED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL TO DETERMINE WHETHER A RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE IN UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. METHODS: TWENTY SIX UNDERACTIVE, OVERWEIGHT ADULT MEN AND WOMEN WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE RANDOMIZED TO ATTEND 15 YOGA SESSIONS OF 90 MINUTES EACH OVER 10 WEEKS OR TO A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS MEASURED BY RECRUITMENT RATES, SUBJECT RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED BY INTERVIEW AND QUESTIONNAIRES. CHANGES IN METABOLIC OUTCOMES AND QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 WERE CALCULATED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 280 PEOPLE WERE SCREENED BY PHONE, AND 93 WITH HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF METABOLIC SYNDROME WERE INVITED TO A SCREENING VISIT. OF THE 68 WHO ATTENDED SCREENING VISITS, 26 (38%) WERE RANDOMIZED, AND 24 (92%) COMPLETED THE TRIAL. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES AND ADHERENCE TO HOME PRACTICE EXCEEDED OUR GOALS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, ALL PARTICIPANTS GAVE THE STUDY THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SATISFACTION RATING, AND THE MAJORITY (87%) FELT THAT THE YOGA POSES WERE EASY TO PERFORM. THERE WAS TREND TO REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE (P = 0.07), A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ENERGY LEVEL (P < 0.009), AND TRENDS TO IMPROVEMENT IN WELL-BEING (P < 0.12) AND STRESS (P < 0.22) IN THE YOGA VERSUS CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: RESTORATIVE YOGA WAS A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT ADULTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME. THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR IMPROVING METABOLIC PARAMETERS IN THIS POPULATION SHOULD BE EXPLORED IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2008 14 428 38 CAN YOGA HAVE ANY EFFECT ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER? A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, SINGLE-BLIND TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), DEPRESSION, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STUDY INCLUDED 42 PATIENTS. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 1 UNDERWENT A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM. THE PATIENTS IN GROUP 2 WERE INCLUDED IN A 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP PROGRAM. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS ARM AND SHOULDER PAIN INTENSITY. RESULTS: THE GROUP RECEIVING YOGA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR PAIN SEVERITY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT, AND THESE BENEFITS WERE MAINTAINED AT 2.5 MONTHS POST-TREATMENT. WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS WITH RESPECT TO THE PARAMETERS ASSESSED AT THE END OF WEEK 10. CONCLUSION: YOGA WAS AN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE EXERCISE FOR ALLEVIATING SHOULDER AND ARM PAIN, WHICH IS A COMPLICATION WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. 2018 15 1243 59 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA, AEROBIC AND STRETCHING-TONING EXERCISE PROGRAM FOR ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS: THE STAYFIT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: THE USE OF YOGA AS A MIND-BODY PRACTICE HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POPULAR AMONG CLINICAL POPULATIONS AND OLDER ADULTS WHO USE THIS PRACTICE TO MANAGE AGE AND CHRONIC DISEASE-RELATED SYMPTOMS. ALTHOUGH YOGA CONTINUES TO GAIN POPULARITY AMONG PRACTITIONERS AND RESEARCHERS, PILOT STUDIES THAT EXAMINE ITS FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, ESPECIALLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS, ARE LIMITED. FEASIBILITY STUDIES PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN DETERMINING WHETHER THE TARGET POPULATION IS LIKELY TO ENGAGE WITH LARGER SCALE EFFICACY AND EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS. IN THIS PAPER WE PRESENT FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY DATA FROM A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) CONDUCTED WITH ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS N = 78 (MEAN AGE: 55 YEARS) WERE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: A HATHA YOGA, AEROBIC EXERCISE, OR STRETCHING-TONING CONTROL GROUP WITH GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES HELD FOR 150 MIN/WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. HEREIN WE REPORT FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, INCLUDING ENROLLMENT RATES, ATTENDANCE, ATTRITION AND ADVERSE EVENTS, AND PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK AND SATISFACTION DATA. RESULTS: OF THE 233 ADULTS SCREENED, 109 WERE ELIGIBLE AND 78 RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF THE THREE INTERVENTION ARMS. SESSION ATTENDANCE WAS HIGH FOR ALL GROUPS (75.5-89.5%) AND 17 PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT DURING THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. PROGRAM SATISFACTION WAS HIGH (4.8 OR HIGHER OUT OF 5) AND NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. ONE COHORT (N = 15) OF THE INTERVENTION TRANSITIONED TO REMOTE INTERVENTION DELIVERY DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. FEASIBILITY DATA FROM THESE PARTICIPANTS SUGGESTED THAT SYNCHRONIZED GROUP EXERCISE CLASSES VIA ZOOM WITH A LIVE INSTRUCTOR WERE ACCEPTABLE AND ENJOYABLE. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK REGARDING MOST AND LEAST HELPFUL ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM AS WELL AS SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE YOGA INTERVENTIONS ARE SUMMARIZED. CONCLUSIONS: OVERALL, THE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS HIGHLY FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE. THE FEASIBILITY PARAMETERS FROM THIS TRIAL CAN AID RESEARCHERS IN ESTIMATING RECRUITMENT RATES FOR DESIRED SAMPLE SIZES TO SUCCESSFULLY RANDOMIZE AND RETAIN CANCER SURVIVORS IN SHORT- AND LONG-TERM YOGA-BASED EFFICACY AND EFFECTIVENESS TRIALS. THE FINDINGS ALSO PROVIDE EVIDENCE TO CLINICIANS WHO CAN RECOMMEND UP TO 150 MIN OF A COMBINATION OF EXERCISES-AEROBIC, YOGA, OR STRETCHING-TONING TO THEIR CANCER PATIENTS IN ORDER TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLBEING DURING CANCER SURVIVORSHIP. 2021 16 279 50 ADHERENCE AND RETENTION OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION: THE EFFECTS OF HEALTH PROMOTING PROGRAMS ON CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK STUDY. OBJECTIVES: SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE IS A RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD). FEW ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLE INTERVENTIONS, SUCH AS YOGA PRACTICE, FOCUS ON AFRICAN AMERICANS (AA), THE POPULATION MOST VULNERABLE TO CVD. OUR OBJECTIVE IS TO COMPARE THE RETENTION AND ADHERENCE RATES BETWEEN YOGA, WALKING, AND HEALTH EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS WHILE PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACCEPTANCE OF VARIOUS YOGA REGIMENS. DESIGN: THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE AA PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED EXCLUSIVELY FROM AN ACTIVE COHORT STUDY AND RANDOMIZED INTO A 48-WEEK STUDY (24 WEEKS INTERVENTION, 24 WEEKS FOLLOW-UP) WITH 5 HEALTH PROMOTION INTERVENTIONS: HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA, MODERATE FREQUENCY YOGA, LOW FREQUENCY YOGA, GUIDED WALKING, AND HEALTH EDUCATION. IN ADDITION TO EXAMINING THE SEPARATE YOGA INTERVENTIONS, A POOLED YOGA INTERVENTION IS CONSIDERED FOR COMPARISON TO GUIDED WALKING AND HEALTH EDUCATION. PARTICIPANT RETENTION, ADHERENCE, AND VITALS WERE MONITORED AT EACH INTERVENTION SESSION. PARTICIPANTS WERE ALSO SCHEDULED FOR FOUR CLINIC VISITS THROUGHOUT THE STUDY WHERE BLOOD PANELS, HEALTH BEHAVIOR, AND MEDICATION SURVEYS WERE ADMINISTERED. RESULTS: OF THE 375 PARTICIPANTS RECRUITED, 31.7% DID NOT COMPLETE THE STUDY. AT BASELINE, IN BOTH THE GUIDED WALKING GROUP AND THE HIGH FREQUENCY YOGA GROUP, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THOSE WHO COMPLETED THE STUDY AND THOSE WHO DID NOT. ALTHOUGH INTERVENTION RETENTION IN THE POOLED YOGA PROGRAM (78.3%) WAS HIGHER COMPARED TO THE WALKING (60%) AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS (74.3%) (P = 0.007), DIFFERENCES IN POST-INTERVENTION RETENTION WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT. MEDIAN ADHERENCE RATES FOR THE POOLED YOGA PROGRAM EXCEEDED RATES FOR GUIDED WALKING AND EDUCATION WITH MODERATE FREQUENCY YOGA OUT PERFORMING HIGH AND LOW FREQUENCY YOGA. CONCLUSION: STUDY-DEFINED RETENTION SUCCESS RATES WERE NOT REACHED BY ALL HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, RETENTION AND ADHERENCE RATES FOR THE POOLED YOGA PROGRAM SHOW THAT OLDER AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE RECEPTIVE TO PARTICIPATING IN YOGA-BASED HEALTH PROMOTION PRACTICES. 2020 17 594 63 DEVELOPMENT AND FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO DEVELOP A GROUP-BASED THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PELVIC PAIN (CPP) AND EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM ON PAIN SEVERITY, SEXUAL FUNCTION, AND WELL-BEING. METHODS: A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM FOR CPP WAS DEVELOPED BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANEL OF CLINICIANS, RESEARCHERS, AND YOGA CONSULTANTS. WOMEN REPORTING MODERATE TO SEVERE PELVIC PAIN FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS WERE RECRUITED INTO A SINGLE-ARM TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWICE WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES FOCUSING ON IYENGAR-BASED YOGA TECHNIQUES AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE YOGA AT HOME AN HOUR A WEEK FOR SIX WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS SELF-RATED THE SEVERITY OF THEIR PELVIC PAIN USING DAILY LOGS. THE IMPACT OF PARTICIPANTS' PAIN ON EVERYDAY ACTIVITIES, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING, AND SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS ASSESSED USING AN IMPACT OF PELVIC PAIN (IPP) QUESTIONNAIRE. SEXUAL FUNCTION WAS FURTHER ASSESSED USING THE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES IN WOMEN QUESTIONNAIRE (SHOW-Q). RESULTS: AMONG THE 16 PARTICIPANTS (AGE RANGE = 31-64 YEARS), AVERAGE RATINGS OF THE SEVERITY OF PAIN "AT ITS WORST," "AT ITS BEST," AND "ON AVERAGE" DECREASED BY 29%, 32%, AND 34%, RESPECTIVELY, FROM START TO SIX WEEKS (P < 0.05 FOR ALL). WOMEN DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN SCORES ON IPP SUBSCALES FOR DAILY ACTIVITIES (1.8 +/- 0.7 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P < 0.001), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (1.7 +/- 0.9 TO 0.9 +/- 0.7, P = 0.005), AND SEXUAL FUNCTION (1.9 +/- 1.1 TO 1.0 +/- 0.9, P = 0.04). SCORES ON THE SHOW-Q "PELVIC PROBLEM INTERFERENCE" SCALE ALSO IMPROVED OVER SIX WEEKS (53 +/- 23 TO 27 +/- 23, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE OF THE FEASIBILITY OF TEACHING WOMEN WITH CPP TO PRACTICE YOGA TO SELF-MANAGE PAIN AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL FUNCTION. 2017 18 1072 69 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). METHODS: THE STUDY HAS A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN WITH TWO ARMS: AN IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP AND A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA-FOR-PD PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED VIA TWICE WEEKLY 60-MIN GROUP-BASED CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SLEEP QUALITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DATA ON PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND YOGA ADHERENCE WERE COLLECTED DURING THE INTERVENTION AND AT 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 20) HAD A MEAN AGE OF 63 YEARS (SD 8, RANGE 49-75) AND DISEASE DURATION 4.8 YEARS (SD 2.9, RANGE 1-13). ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD MILD-MODERATE DISEASE SEVERITY; 18 (90%) WERE ON DOPAMINERGIC MEDICATIONS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS (85%) ATTENDED AT LEAST 75% OF THE CLASSES AND 4 (20%) ATTENDED ALL CLASSES. MOST PARTICIPANTS (N = 17) REPORTED THEY "DEFINITELY ENJOYED" THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. AT 12 WEEKS, THERE WERE NO MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. MOTOR FUNCTION BASED ON THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE WAS BETTER IN THE TREATMENT GROUP, BUT THEIR SCORES ON SLEEP AND OUTLOOK IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQUALIF) SCALE AND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS BASED ON THE LONGITUDINAL AGING STUDY AMSTERDAM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE WERE WORSE THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. IN WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS, MOTOR FUNCTION, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND CATALASE IMPROVED BUT THREE PDQUALIF DOMAINS (SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTION, SLEEP, AND OUTLOOK) AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL WORSENED BY THE END OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE RESPONSE RATE FOR THE 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP SURVEY WAS 74% (N = 14) WITH SIX PARTICIPANTS (43%) WHO SIGNED UP FOR A YOGA CLASS AND FOUR (29%) WHO PRACTICED IT INDEPENDENTLY. HEALTH PROBLEMS WERE THE MAIN BARRIER TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE AND MAY SERVE AS A COMPLEMENTARY METHOD FOR IMPROVING MOTOR FUNCTION IN PD. FURTHER RESEARCH USING A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE ITS IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02509610031. 2018 19 2754 46 YOGA PRACTICE PREDICTS IMPROVEMENTS IN DAY-TO-DAY PAIN IN WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER. CONTEXT: WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM BURDEN, INCLUDING CANCER PAIN. YOGA IS A MIND-BODY DISCIPLINE THAT HAS SHOWN PROMISE FOR ALLEVIATING CANCER PAIN, BUT FEW STUDIES HAVE INCLUDED PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC DISEASE OR EXAMINED THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE WHETHER DAILY PAIN CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM AMONG WOMEN WITH MBC AND WHETHER TIME SPENT IN YOGA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO DAILY PAIN. METHODS: ON ALTERNATE WEEKS DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD, WE COLLECTED DAILY MEASURES OF PAIN FROM A SUBSET OF 48 WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA (N = 30) OR A SUPPORT GROUP CONDITION (N = 18). WE ALSO ASSESSED DAILY DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO YOGA. RESULTS: PAIN LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS, AND NO DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT EFFECTS WERE FOUND ON DAILY PAIN. HOWEVER, AMONG WOMEN RANDOMIZED TO YOGA, A DOSE/RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE DURATION AND DAILY PAIN. WHEN PATIENTS HAD SPENT RELATIVELY MORE TIME PRACTICING YOGA ACROSS TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS, THEY WERE MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE LOWER PAIN ON THE NEXT DAY. THIS FINDING IS CONSISTENT WITH AN EARLIER MBC STUDY. MEDITATION PRACTICE SHOWED THE STRONGEST ASSOCIATION WITH LOWER DAILY PAIN. CONCLUSION: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE (MEDITATION PRACTICE IN PARTICULAR) IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE IMPROVEMENTS IN CANCER PAIN, AND THAT YOGA INTERVENTIONS MAY BE MORE IMPACTFUL IF TESTED IN A SAMPLE OF PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED CANCER IN WHICH PAIN IS RELATIVELY ELEVATED. 2021 20 1707 48 PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY DESCRIBED PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE DESIGN MEASURED THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, USING DATA AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION MONTHS 3, 6, AND 15. RESULTS: DISPARATE PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE OCCURRED BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS OVER TIME, BUT THE SUBJECTIVE DEFINITION OF YOGA PRACTICE LIMITS INTERPRETATION. MULTILEVEL MODEL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT TREATMENT GROUP DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE IN THE RATE OF CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. WHILE AGE AND EDUCATION WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL PREDICTORS, THE INCLUSION OF THESE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL DID IMPROVE FIT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS INDICATE THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. 2012