1 172 141 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF YOGA SKILLS TRAINING VERSUS AN ATTENTION CONTROL DELIVERED DURING CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION. CONTEXT: IT IS IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS FATIGUE AND CO-OCCURRING SYMPTOMS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY TO PRESERVE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) CANCER. OBJECTIVE: TO CONDUCT A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY OF A YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) INTERVENTION COMPARED TO AN ATTENTION CONTROL (AC) AMONG ADULTS DIAGNOSED WITH GI CANCER. METHODS: YST CONSISTED OF FOUR 30-MINUTE SESSIONS DELIVERED INDIVIDUALLY DURING CHEMOTHERAPY PLUS HOME PRACTICE. AC PROVIDED EMPATHIC ATTENTION PLUS HOME DIARIES. PATIENT-REPORTED (PROMIS T-SCORE) ASSESSMENTS OF FATIGUE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS (PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE) WERE COLLECTED AT CHEMOTHERAPY VISITS: BASELINE, WEEK 8, WEEK 10 AND WEEK 14, AND ANALYZED USING A MIXED EFFECTS MODEL. INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND WEEK 10. RESULTS: FORTY-FOUR OF 77 ADULTS APPROACHED AGREED TO PARTICIPATE (57%; YST N = 23; AC N = 21). PARTICIPANTS' MEAN AGE WAS 58 YEARS AND 48% WERE MEN. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO YST REPORTED A LARGER DECLINE IN FATIGUE (-2.4 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.30) AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (-2.5 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.30) THAN AC PARTICIPANTS FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 10 AND SLEEP DISTURBANCES AT WEEK 8 (-3.9 DIFFERENCE, D = 0.50). DIFFERENCES IN MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE IN SYMPTOMS WERE CONSISTENT WITH OR EXCEEDED A MINIMALLY IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE. PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS DECREASED MORE IN THE AC AT WEEK 10 (D = 0.30). REDUCTIONS IN INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (IL-6, STNF R1) WERE LARGER IN THE YST GROUP THAN AC. CONCLUSION: YST SHOWED PROMISE FOR IMPROVING FATIGUE, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP DISTURBANCES, AND INFLAMMATION. YST IS ALSO FEASIBLE AND REACHES PATIENTS UNDERREPRESENTED IN YOGA RESEARCH (I.E., GI CANCER, MEN), THUS WARRANTING FURTHER EXAMINATION. 2022 2 41 61 A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTED DURING CHEMOTHERAPY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: FATIGUE AND OTHER TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS (E.G., SLEEP DISTURBANCE) ARE CRITICAL TARGETS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. YOGA MAY REDUCE THE BURDEN OF SUCH SYMPTOMS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER. DESIGN: WE RANDOMIZED ADULTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER TO A BRIEF YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) OR AN ATTENTION CONTROL (AC; EMPATHIC ATTENTION AND RECORDED EDUCATION). SETTING: THE INTERVENTIONS AND ASSESSMENTS WERE IMPLEMENTED INDIVIDUALLY IN THE CLINIC WHILE PATIENTS WERE IN THE CHAIR RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. INTERVENTIONS: BOTH INTERVENTIONS CONSISTED OF THREE SESSIONS AND RECOMMENDED HOME PRACTICE. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FEASIBILITY (ACCRUAL, RETENTION, ADHERENCE, DATA COLLECTION). SELF-REPORTED OUTCOMES (I.E., FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, QUALITY OF LIFE) AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS WERE ALSO DESCRIBED TO INFORM FUTURE STUDIES. RESULTS: OF 52 PATIENTS INITIALLY IDENTIFIED, 28 WERE APPROACHED, AND 15 ENROLLED (AGE MEAN = 57.5 YEARS; 80% WHITE; 60% MALE). REASONS FOR DECLINING PARTICIPATION WERE: NOT INTERESTED (N = 6), DID NOT PERCEIVE A NEED (N = 2), AND OTHER (N = 5). TWO PARTICIPANTS WERE LOST TO FOLLOW-UP IN EACH GROUP DUE TO TREATMENT CHANGES. THUS, 75% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE RETAINED IN THE YST AND 71% IN THE AC ARM. PARTICIPANTS RETAINED IN THE STUDY ADHERED TO 97% OF THE IN-PERSON INTERVENTION SESSIONS AND COMPLETED ALL QUESTIONNAIRES. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO ASSESS YST AMONG PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER. DATA COLLECTED AND CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED WILL INFORM FUTURE RESEARCH. 2016 3 1237 44 FEASIBILITY OF A BRIEF YOGA INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING ACUTE PAIN AND DISTRESS POST GYNECOLOGIC SURGERY. BACKGROUND: WOMEN UNDERGOING SURGICAL PROCEDURES FOR SUSPECTED GYNECOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE PAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS RELATED TO SURGERY. YOGA MAY REDUCE THESE NEGATIVE SURGICAL OUTCOMES. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF EVALUATING A PERIOPERATIVE BRIEF YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) IN THIS POPULATION. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES WERE TO (1) ASSESS THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF THE YST ON PAIN AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS; AND (2) PROVIDE PRELIMINARY DATA FOR FUTURE STUDIES. METHOD: ADULT WOMEN SCHEDULED TO UNDERGO AN EXPLORATORY LAPAROTOMY FOR A SUSPECTED GYNECOLOGIC MALIGNANCY WERE RECRUITED TO THIS ONE-ARM FEASIBILITY STUDY. EACH WOMAN RECEIVED THE YST, WHICH CONSISTED OF THREE 15-MINUTE SESSIONS, ONE BEFORE AND TWO AFTER SURGERY. THE FOLLOWING CONSTRUCTS WERE ASSESSED: FEASIBILITY (RATES OF ACCRUAL, INTERVENTION ADHERENCE, MEASURE COMPLETION, RETENTION, AND LEVEL OF SATISFACTION), IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF THE YST (VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE RATINGS OF PAIN AND DISTRESS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER EACH SESSION), AND DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR MEASURES TO BE USED IN FUTURE STUDIES. RESULTS: OF THE 33 ELIGIBLE WOMEN, 18 WERE APPROACHED AND 10 AGREED TO PARTICIPATE (MEAN AGE = 54.7 YEARS; 90% WHITE). TWO WOMEN DISCONTINUED THE STUDY PRIOR TO STARTING THE YST SESSIONS. OF THE EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WHO RECEIVED THE YST, FIVE COMPLETED THE PRE-SURGERY SESSION (63%) AND SEVEN COMPLETED (88%) BOTH POST-SURGICAL SESSIONS; ONE WOMAN WITHDREW AFTER ONE YST SESSION. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE YST. ACUTE PAIN AND DISTRESS DECREASED FROM BEFORE TO IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE YST SESSION WITH MODERATE TO LARGE EFFECTS: PAIN, D'S = -0.67 TO -0.95; DISTRESS, D'S = -0.66 TO -1.08. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED REASONABLE INDICATORS OF FEASIBILITY. IN ADDITION, PATIENTS SHOWED SHORT-TERM REDUCTIONS IN PAIN AND DISTRESS. NEXT STEPS INCLUDE ATTENTION TO IMPROVING STAFF AVAILABILITY AND INTERVENTION IMPLEMENTATION IN ORDER TO FEASIBLY EVALUATE THE PERIOPERATIVE YST, WHICH SHOWS PROMISE FOR REDUCING POSTOPERATIVE PAIN AND DISTRESS. 2016 4 2508 49 YOGA BREATHING FOR CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE: RESULTS OF A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: MANY DEBILITATING SYMPTOMS ARISE FROM CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT THAT ARE OFTEN UNRELIEVED BY ESTABLISHED METHODS. PRANAYAMA, A SERIES OF YOGIC BREATHING TECHNIQUES, MAY IMPROVE CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED FOR THIS PURPOSE. OBJECTIVES: A PILOT STUDY WAS PERFORMED TO EVALUATE FEASIBILITY AND TO TEST THE EFFECTS OF PRANAYAMA ON CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DESIGN: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING PRANAYAMA TO USUAL CARE. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT A UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. SUBJECTS: PATIENTS RECEIVING CANCER CHEMOTHERAPY WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE PRANAYAMA IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER A WAITING PERIOD (CONTROL GROUP). INTERVENTIONS: THE PRANAYAMA INTERVENTION CONSISTED OF FOUR BREATHING TECHNIQUES TAUGHT IN WEEKLY CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME. THE TREATMENT GROUP RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING TWO CONSECUTIVE CYCLES OF CHEMOTHERAPY. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED USUAL CARE DURING THEIR FIRST CYCLE, AND RECEIVED PRANAYAMA DURING THEIR SECOND CYCLE OF CHEMOTHERAPY. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY, CANCER-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS (FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, STRESS), AND QUALITY OF LIFE WERE THE OUTCOMES. RESULTS: CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS NEARLY 100% IN BOTH GROUPS. SIXTEEN (16) PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE FINAL INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. THE REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSES DEMONSTRATED THAT ANY INCREASE IN PRANAYAMA DOSE, WITH DOSE MEASURED IN THE NUMBER OF HOURS PRACTICED IN CLASS OR AT HOME, RESULTED IN IMPROVED SYMPTOM AND QUALITY-OF-LIFE SCORES. SEVERAL OF THESE ASSOCIATIONS--SLEEP DISTURBANCE (P=0.04), ANXIETY (P=0.04), AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.05)--REACHED OR APPROACHED STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA BREATHING WAS A FEASIBLE INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH CANCER RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PRANAYAMA MAY IMPROVE SLEEP DISTURBANCE, ANXIETY, AND MENTAL QUALITY OF LIFE. A DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRANAYAMA USE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN CHEMOTHERAPY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE FINDINGS NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN A LARGER STUDY. 2012 5 70 42 A FEASIBILITY STUDY EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH AND SYMPTOMS IN PEDIATRIC OUTPATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. PURPOSE: PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS EXPERIENCE SYMPTOMS THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE; YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A 10-WEEK, WEEKLY INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA INTERVENTION FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS RECEIVING OUTPATIENT CANCER THERAPY PRIMARILY DELIVERED REMOTELY USING SKYPE. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES WERE TO DESCRIBE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ANGER, FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND SYMPTOMS AT 5 AND 10 WEEKS AFTER ENROLLMENT. METHODS: WE INCLUDED ENGLISH-SPEAKING PATIENTS AGED 10 TO 18 YEARS RECEIVING OUTPATIENT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR CANCER. WEEKLY INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA SESSIONS WERE OFFERED FOR 10 WEEKS. WEEKS 1, 5, AND 10 WERE IN-HOSPITAL WHILE THE REMAINING SESSIONS WERE DELIVERED REMOTELY USING SKYPE. TWICE WEEKLY, HOMEWORK WAS ASSIGNED BETWEEN EACH SESSION. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS FEASIBILITY, DEFINED AS 80% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING AT LEAST 60% OF PLANNED IN-HOSPITAL OR REMOTE YOGA SESSIONS. RESULTS: BETWEEN MARCH AND NOVEMBER 2017, 10 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED. TWO PATIENTS DISCONTINUED THE STUDY AFTER ONE AND TWO SESSIONS. ONLY SIX PARTICIPANTS ACHIEVED AT LEAST 60% OF PLANNED YOGA SESSIONS AND THUS, THE STUDY DID NOT MEET THE A PRIORI DEFINED FEASIBILITY THRESHOLD. AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS, ONLY ONE HOMEWORK SESSION WAS PERFORMED. CONCLUSIONS: A 10-WEEK INDIVIDUALIZED IN-PERSON AND REMOTELY CONDUCTED YOGA INTERVENTION WAS NOT FEASIBLE IN CHILDREN RECEIVING CANCER TREATMENTS BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED FREQUENCY OF YOGA SESSIONS IN A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD IDENTIFY APPROACHES TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE WITH REMOTE YOGA SESSIONS AND HOME PRACTICE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03318068. 2019 6 2553 33 YOGA FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS AFTER COMPLETING CANCER TREATMENT. SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD CANCER MAY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING FATIGUE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, AND BALANCE IMPAIRMENT. YOGA IS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY THAT IMPROVES FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER SURVIVORS. USING A ONE GROUP, REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA PROGRAM AND ASSESSED IF CANCER SURVIVOR PARTICIPANTS AGES 10 TO 17 YEARS (N = 13) HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS FATIGUE AND ANXIETY, AND BETTER BALANCE AND SLEEP, AFTER A 6-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH A 6-WEEK PRE-INTERVENTION WAIT PERIOD. STUDY RECRUITMENT WAS CHALLENGING WITH A 32% ENROLLMENT RATE; YOGA ATTENDANCE WAS 90%. NONE OF THE SCORES FOR ANXIETY, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE HAD SIGNIFICANT CHANGES DURING THE WAIT PERIOD. AFTER THE 6-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM, CHILDREN (N = 7) HAD A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY SCORE (P = .04) WHILE ADOLESCENT SCORES (N = 7) SHOWED A DECREASING TREND (P = .10). SCORES FOR FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND BALANCE REMAINED STABLE POST-INTERVENTION. FATIGUE AND BALANCE SCORES WERE BELOW NORMS FOR HEALTH CHILDREN/ADOLESCENTS WHILE SLEEP AND ANXIETY SCORES WERE SIMILAR TO HEALTHY PEERS. 2016 7 1240 37 FEASIBILITY OF A MINDFUL YOGA PROGRAM FOR WOMEN WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER: RESULTS OF A RANDOMIZED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BREAST CANCER (MBC) EXPERIENCE HIGH LEVELS OF SYMPTOMS. YOGA INTERVENTIONS HAVE SHOWN PROMISE FOR IMPROVING CANCER SYMPTOMS BUT HAVE RARELY BEEN TESTED IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED DISEASE. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE ACCEPTABILITY OF A COMPREHENSIVE YOGA PROGRAM FOR MBC AND THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING A RANDOMIZED TRIAL TESTING THE INTERVENTION. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE WOMEN WITH MBC WERE RANDOMIZED WITH A 2:1 ALLOCATION TO YOGA OR A SUPPORT GROUP COMPARISON CONDITION. BOTH INTERVENTIONS INVOLVED EIGHT WEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS. FEASIBILITY WAS QUANTIFIED USING RATES OF ACCRUAL, ATTRITION, AND SESSION ATTENDANCE. ACCEPTABILITY WAS ASSESSED WITH A STANDARDIZED SELF-REPORT MEASURE. PAIN, FATIGUE, SLEEP QUALITY, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, MINDFULNESS, AND FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, POST-INTERVENTION, AND 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: WE MET GOALS FOR ACCRUAL AND RETENTION, WITH 50% OF ELIGIBLE PATIENTS ENROLLED AND 87% OF RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING POST-INTERVENTION SURVEYS. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 90% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP ATTENDED >/= 4 SESSIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA CONDITION AND 65% IN THE SUPPORT GROUP INDICATED THAT THEY WERE HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE INTERVENTION. FOLLOWING TREATMENT, WOMEN IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION HAD MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SOME OUTCOMES; HOWEVER, OVERALL SYMPTOM LEVELS WERE LOW FOR WOMEN IN BOTH CONDITIONS. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION CONTENT WAS HIGHLY ACCEPTABLE TO PATIENTS WITH MBC, BUT THAT THERE ARE CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTING AN INTERVENTION INVOLVING EIGHT GROUP-BASED IN-PERSON SESSIONS. ALTERNATIVE MODES OF DELIVERY MAY BE NECESSARY TO REACH PATIENTS MOST IN NEED OF INTERVENTION. 2019 8 2604 41 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE AFFLICTS UP TO 33% OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, YET THERE ARE NO EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED TREATMENTS FOR THIS SYMPTOM. METHODS: THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A 2-GROUP RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF AN IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. PARTICIPANTS WERE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WHO HAD COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENTS (OTHER THAN ENDOCRINE THERAPY) AT LEAST 6 MONTHS BEFORE ENROLLMENT, REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, AND HAD NO OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD ACCOUNT FOR FATIGUE SYMPTOMS OR INTERFERE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS USED TO ASSIGN PARTICIPANTS TO A 12-WEEK, IYENGAR-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION OR TO 12 WEEKS OF HEALTH EDUCATION (CONTROL). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS CHANGE IN FATIGUE MEASURED AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POST-TREATMENT, AND 3 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT COMPLETION. ADDITIONAL OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN VIGOR, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, SLEEP, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE. INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED WITH ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS. RESULTS: THIRTY-ONE WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA (N = 16) OR HEALTH EDUCATION (N = 15). FATIGUE SEVERITY DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM BASELINE TO POST-TREATMENT AND OVER A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .032). IN ADDITION, THE YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN VIGOR RELATIVE TO CONTROLS (P = .011). BOTH GROUPS HAD POSITIVE CHANGES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PERCEIVED STRESS (P < .05). NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN SLEEP OR PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE WERE OBSERVED. CONCLUSIONS: A TARGETED YOGA INTERVENTION LED TO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN FATIGUE AND VIGOR AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WITH PERSISTENT FATIGUE SYMPTOMS. 2012 9 1495 42 INTERVENTION PROTOCOL FOR INVESTIGATING YOGA IMPLEMENTED DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. OBJECTIVE: FATIGUE AND OTHER TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS ARE CRITICAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. YOGA IS A PROMISING INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING THESE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS AND HAS BEEN PRIMARILY INVESTIGATED IN THE GROUP-CLASS FORMAT, WHICH IS LESS FEASIBLE FOR CANCER PATIENTS WITH HIGH SYMPTOM BURDEN TO ATTEND. THUS, WE DEVELOPED A PROTOCOL FOR IMPLEMENTING YOGA INDIVIDUALLY IN THE CLINIC AMONG PATIENTS RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WE FOLLOWED RECOMMENDED DOMAINS FOR DEVELOPING A YOGA PROTOCOL TO BE USED IN AN EFFICACY TRIAL. THESE RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE CONSIDERATION TO THE STYLE, DELIVERY, COMPONENTS OF THE INTERVENTION, DOSE, SPECIFIC CLASS SEQUENCES, FACILITATION OF HOME PRACTICE, MEASUREMENT OF INTERVENTION FIDELITY, SELECTION OF INSTRUCTORS, AND DEALING WITH MODIFICATIONS. THE INTERVENTION PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED BY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM. PROTOCOL: YOGA SKILLS TRAINING (YST) CONSISTS OF FOUR 30-MINUTE IN-PERSON SESSIONS AND WAS IMPLEMENTED WHILE IN THE CHAIR DURING CHEMOTHERAPY INFUSIONS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER WITH RECOMMENDED DAILY HOME PRACTICE FOR EIGHT WEEKS. THERAPEUTIC GOALS OF THE YST ARE TO REDUCE FATIGUE, CIRCADIAN DISRUPTION, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. ELEMENTS OF THE YST ARE AWARENESS MEDITATION, GENTLE SEATED MOVEMENT, BREATHING PRACTICE, AND RELAXATION MEDITATION. ATTENTION, COMFORT, AND EASE ARE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED. CONCLUSION: THIS DESCRIPTION OF A PROTOCOL FOR INTEGRATING YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CANCER TREATMENT WILL INFORM FUTURE STUDY DESIGNS AND CLINICAL PRACTICE. THE DESIGN OF THE YST IS NOVEL BECAUSE IT IMPLEMENTS YOGA-MOST COMMONLY STUDIED WHEN TAUGHT TO GROUPS OUTSIDE OF THE CLINICAL SETTING- INDIVIDUALLY DURING CLINICAL CARE. 2016 10 2628 42 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 11 1960 44 SELF-REGULATION EVALUATION OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA AND WALKING FOR PATIENTS WITH IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME: A PILOT STUDY. WITH LIMITED EFFICACY OF MEDICATIONS FOR SYMPTOM RELIEF, NON-MEDICATION TREATMENTS MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE TREATMENT OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS), THE MOST COMMON FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL (GI) DISORDER. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF TWO SELF-REGULATION STRATEGIES FOR SYMPTOM RELIEF AND MOOD MANAGEMENT IN IBS PATIENTS. THIRTY-FIVE ADULT PARTICIPANTS MEETING ROME III CRITERIA FOR IBS WERE ENROLLED, 27 OF THE 35 PARTICIPANTS (77%) COMPLETED TREATMENT AND PRE- AND POST-TREATMENT VISITS (89% WOMEN, 11% MEN; M (SD) AGE = 36 (13)), AND 20 OF THE 27 (74%) COMPLETED A 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 16 BIWEEKLY GROUP SESSIONS OF IYENGAR YOGA OR A WALKING PROGRAM. RESULTS INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT GROUP BY TIME INTERACTION ON NEGATIVE AFFECT WITH THE WALKING TREATMENT SHOWING IMPROVEMENT FROM PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT WHEN COMPARED TO YOGA (P < .05). THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP BY TIME EFFECT ON IBS SEVERITY. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES OF SECONDARY OUTCOMES EXAMINED CHANGE SEPARATELY FOR EACH TREATMENT CONDITION. FROM PRE- TO POST-TREATMENT, YOGA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN IBS SEVERITY MEASURES (P < .05), VISCERAL SENSITIVITY (P < .05), AND SEVERITY OF SOMATIC SYMPTOMS (P < .05). WALKING SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN OVERALL GI SYMPTOMS (P < .05), NEGATIVE AFFECT (P < .05), AND STATE ANXIETY (P < .05). AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, OVERALL GI SYMPTOMS FOR WALKING CONTINUED TO SIGNIFICANTLY DECLINE, WHILE FOR YOGA, GI SYMPTOMS REBOUNDED TOWARD BASELINE LEVELS (P < .05). WHEN ASKED ABOUT SELF-REGULATED HOME PRACTICE AT 6 MONTHS, SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PARTICIPANTS IN WALKING THAN IN YOGA PRACTICED AT LEAST WEEKLY (P < .05). IN SUM, RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA AND WALKING AS MOVEMENT-BASED SELF-REGULATORY BEHAVIORAL TREATMENTS HAVE SOME DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS BUT ARE BOTH BENEFICIAL FOR IBS PATIENTS, THOUGH MAINTENANCE OF A SELF-REGULATED WALKING PROGRAM MAY BE MORE FEASIBLE AND THEREFORE MORE EFFECTIVE LONG TERM. 2016 12 1242 44 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 13 2811 43 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 14 2830 39 YOGA VS STRETCHING IN VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOWER BACK PAIN AND THE ROLE OF MINDFULNESS: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING, RANDOMIZING, ENROLLING, AND COLLECTING OUTCOME DATA ON VETERAN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WHO UNDERGO AN 8-WEEK, ACTIVE EXERCISE CLASS WITH MINDFULNESS (YOGA CLASS) AND WITHOUT (STRETCHING CLASS). METHODS: UNITED STATES VETERANS WITH CLBP BASED ON INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RANDOMIZED TO 1 OF 2 GROUPS. THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. TWENTY CLBP PATIENTS ATTENDED A YOGA CLASS OR STRETCHING CLASS ONCE PER WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS AT THE VETERANS AFFAIRS ROCHESTER OUTPATIENT CENTER, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. THE FOLLOWING MEASUREMENTS WERE OBTAINED: RECRUITMENT OR ENROLLMENT DATA, COMPLIANCE DATA TO INCLUDE CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME EXERCISE, AND COMPLIANCE DATA REGARDING ABILITY TO COLLECT OUTCOME MEASURES AT BASELINE AND AT COMPLETION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED PAIN (PEG), QUALITY OF LIFE (PROMIS GLOBAL HEALTH SURVEY), SELF-EFFICACY (2-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE), FEAR AVOIDANCE BELIEF, CATASTROPHIZING, AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT IN ADDITION TO QUALITATIVE CLINICIAN OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS POSTINTERVENTION. RESULTS: FORTY-FIVE VETERANS WERE QUERIED REGARDING INTEREST IN PARTICIPATION. OF THESE, 34 (76%) MET THE STUDY'S CRITERIA. TWENTY (44%) AGREED TO PARTICIPATE AND WERE CONSENTED, RANDOMIZED, AND ENROLLED IN THE STUDY. INITIAL AND FINAL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT (100%). FORTY PERCENT ATTENDED MORE THAN 80% OF THE SESSIONS FOR BOTH YOGA AND STRETCHING GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY DEMONSTRATED FEASIBILITY OF RECRUITING, ENROLLING, AND COLLECTING OUTCOME DATA ON CLBP VETERAN PATIENTS PARTICIPATING IN YOGA AND STRETCHING CLASS. THE DATA FROM THIS PILOT WILL INFORM THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RANDOMIZED, COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY OF YOGA WITH AND WITHOUT MINDFULNESS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CLBP. 2020 15 2644 37 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 16 345 33 ASSESSING FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AND GROUP CBT FOR ADOLESCENTS WITH DEPRESSION: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. PURPOSE: GIVEN INCREASING RATES OF DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS, THERE IS A CLEAR NEED FOR INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS. IN THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL, WE ASSESSED ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF TWO GROUP-BASED INTERVENTIONS: YOGA AND COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY (CBT). THE GOAL OF THIS WORK IS TO PREPARE FOR A FUTURE FULLY POWERED RANDOMIZED TRIAL TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS THAT YOGA IS NOT INFERIOR TO AN ESTABLISHED ADOLESCENT DEPRESSION TREATMENT, NAMELY, GROUP CBT. METHODS: WE ENROLLED 42 ADOLESCENTS WITH ELEVATED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 12-WEEK GROUP-BASED INTERVENTION, YOGA OR CBT. WE HAD A PRIORI FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY TARGETS, INCLUDING FOR RECRUITMENT RATE, RETENTION RATE, EXPECTANCY, CREDIBILITY, PROGRAM SATISFACTION, CLASS ATTENDANCE, ENGAGEMENT IN HOME PRACTICE, AND INSTRUCTOR/LEADER MANUAL ADHERENCE. WE ASSESSED ADVERSE EVENTS, AND WITHIN-SUBJECT CHANGES IN OUTCOMES (DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, IMPAIRMENT, SLEEP DISTURBANCE) AND POSSIBLE MEDIATORS (MINDFULNESS, SELF-COMPASSION). RESULTS: BOTH INTERVENTIONS MET MOST ACCEPTABILITY AND FEASIBILITY TARGETS. THE ONLY TARGET NOT MET RELATED TO LOW ENGAGEMENT IN HOME PRACTICE. PARTICIPANTS WITHIN EACH STUDY ARM SHOWED DECREASED DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS OVER TIME AND INCREASED SELF-COMPASSION. CONCLUSIONS: A YOGA INTERVENTION APPEARS TO BE ACCEPTABLE AND FEASIBLE TO ADOLESCENTS WITH DEPRESSION. HOWEVER, IT MAY BE CHALLENGING FOR THIS GROUP TO ENGAGE IN UNSTRUCTURED HOME PRACTICE. 2022 17 428 40 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 18 282 41 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 19 1859 47 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL OF YOGA IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURES. PURPOSE: TO OBTAIN ESTIMATES OF TIME TO RECRUIT THE STUDY SAMPLE, RETENTION, FACILITY-BASED CLASS ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE FOR A STUDY OF YOGA IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, AND ITS EFFICACY ON FATIGUE, QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), AND WEIGHT CHANGE. METHODS: SIXTY-THREE POST-TREATMENT STAGES 0-III BORDERLINE OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE (BODY MASS INDEX >/= 24 KG/M(2)) BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO A 6-MONTH, FACILITY- AND HOME-BASED VINIYOGA INTERVENTION (N = 32) OR A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 31). THE YOGA GOAL WAS FIVE PRACTICES PER WEEK. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE CHANGES IN QOL, FATIGUE, AND WEIGHT FROM BASELINE TO 6 MONTHS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED CHANGES IN WAIST AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. RESULTS: IT TOOK 12 MONTHS TO COMPLETE RECRUITMENT. PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED A MEAN OF 19.6 CLASSES AND PRACTICED AT HOME A MEAN OF 55.8 TIMES DURING THE 6-MONTH PERIOD. AT FOLLOW-UP, 90% OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND 87% COMPLETED ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS. QOL AND FATIGUE IMPROVED TO A GREATER EXTENT AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP RELATIVE TO WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP, ALTHOUGH NO DIFFERENCES WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE DECREASED 3.1 CM (95% CI, -5.7 AND -0.4) MORE AMONG WOMEN IN THE YOGA COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, WITH NO DIFFERENCE IN WEIGHT CHANGE. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY PROVIDES IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND PRACTICE LEVELS ACHIEVED DURING A 6-MONTH, INTENSIVE YOGA INTERVENTION IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA MAY HELP DECREASE WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE; FUTURE STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS. 2012 20 1862 43 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS: EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE IMPACT OF YOGA, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION EXERCISES, ON QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL), FATIGUE, DISTRESSED MOOD, AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING AMONG A MULTIETHNIC SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-EIGHT PATIENTS (42% AFRICAN AMERICAN, 31% HISPANIC) RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN CANCER CENTER WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED (2:1 RATIO) TO A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 84) OR A 12-WEEK WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 44). CHANGES IN QOL (EG, FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CANCER THERAPY) FROM BEFORE RANDOM ASSIGNMENT (T1) TO THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (T3) WERE EXAMINED; PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE WERE ALSO ASSESSED. NEARLY HALF OF ALL PATIENTS WERE RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT. RESULTS: REGRESSION ANALYSES INDICATED THAT THE CONTROL GROUP HAD A GREATER DECREASE IN SOCIAL WELL-BEING COMPARED WITH THE INTERVENTION GROUP AFTER CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND COVARIATES (P < .0001). SECONDARY ANALYSES OF 71 PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY DURING THE INTERVENTION PERIOD INDICATED FAVORABLE OUTCOMES FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP IN OVERALL QOL (P < .008), EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING (P < .015), SOCIAL WELL-BEING (P < .004), SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (P < .009), AND DISTRESSED MOOD (P < .031). SIXTY-NINE PERCENT OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED CLASSES (MEAN NUMBER OF CLASSES ATTENDED BY ACTIVE CLASS PARTICIPANTS = 7.00 +/- 3.80), WITH LOWER ADHERENCE ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FATIGUE (P < .001), RADIOTHERAPY (P < .0001), YOUNGER AGE (P < .008), AND NO ANTIESTROGEN THERAPY (P < .02). CONCLUSION: DESPITE LIMITED ADHERENCE, THIS INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AMONG A MEDICALLY DIVERSE SAMPLE OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS. AMONG PATIENTS NOT RECEIVING CHEMOTHERAPY, YOGA APPEARS TO ENHANCE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND MOOD AND MAY SERVE TO BUFFER DETERIORATION IN BOTH OVERALL AND SPECIFIC DOMAINS OF QOL. 2007