1 206 94 A SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. RECENT STUDIES SUGGEST YOGA AS A PROMISING APPROACH FOR IMPROVING THE COGNITIVE FUNCTION OF CANCER SURVIVORS. WE STUDIED WHETHER A SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME WAS FEASIBLE FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO WERE UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. PARTICIPANTS' PREFERENCES FOR THE TYPE OF YOGA COURSE AND THE CLINICAL EFFECTS OF THE PROGRAMME WERE ALSO ASSESSED. IN THIS STUDY, 18 WOMEN (MEAN AGE, 43.9 YEARS) WERE ENROLLED (44.7% RECRUITMENT RATE). OF THE PARTICIPANTS, 63.6% HAD STAGE II CANCER AND 71.4% RECEIVED ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. FAVOURABLE RETENTION (86%), ADHERENCE (94.4%) AND ACCEPTABILITY (96.5%) RATES WERE DETERMINED. MOST (94.4%) OF THE WOMEN PRACTICED THE HOME PROGRAMME MORE THAN TWICE A WEEK ON AVERAGE. THE PARTICIPANTS PREFERRED TO GRADUALLY INCREASE THE INTENSITY OF THE EXERCISES. WE ONLY OBSERVED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF FATIGUE. NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE ENCOUNTERED DURING THE PROGRAMME. THIS SELF-DIRECTED HOME YOGA PROGRAMME WAS SAFE AND FEASIBLE FOR PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. 2016 2 2579 27 YOGA FOR HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULT CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED FEASIBILITY STUDY. AN INCREASE IN PATIENT-LED UPTAKE OF COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES IN ADULT CANCER HAS LED TO A NEED FOR MORE RIGOROUS STUDY OF SUCH INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR OUTCOMES. THIS STUDY THEREFORE AIMED TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION IN MEN AND WOMEN RECEIVING CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT FOR A CANCER DIAGNOSIS. PROSPECTIVE, MIXED METHODS FEASIBILITY TRIAL ALLOCATED PARTICIPANTS TO RECEIVE ONE OF THREE YOGA INTERVENTIONS OVER A FOUR-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. DATA COLLECTION WAS COMPLETED THROUGH ONLINE SURVEY OF QOL-CA/CS AND CUSTOMIZED SURVEYS. FIFTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE INCLUDED (11 FEMALE) UNDERGOING TREATMENT FOR BREAST, PROSTATE, COLORECTAL, BRAIN, AND BLOOD AND LUNG CANCER. TWO PARTICIPANTS DROPPED OUT AND COMPLETE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA SETS WERE COLLECTED FROM 12 PARTICIPANTS AND FOUR YOGA INSTRUCTORS. OTHER OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED IMPLEMENTATION COSTS PATIENT-REPORTED PREFERENCES FOR YOGA INTERVENTION AND CHANGES IN QOL-CA/CS. THREE TYPES OF YOGA INTERVENTION WERE SAFELY ADMINISTERED IN ADULT CANCER. MIXED METHODS, COST-EFFICIENCY, QOL-CA/CS, AND EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN OF YOGA INTERVENTION HAVE BEEN USED TO ESTABLISH FEASIBILITY AND PATIENT-PREFERENCES FOR YOGA DELIVERY IN ADULT CANER. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT, WITH SOME METHODOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS, A LARGE-SCALE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL IS WARRANTED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR MALE AND FEMALE CANCER PATIENTS. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02309112. 2015 3 1564 45 LONGITUDINAL IMPACT OF YOGA ON CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER: A CASE SERIES. PURPOSE: ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THE CURE RATE; HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMOTHERAPY-RELATED COGNITIVE IMPACT (CRCI). THE LITERATURE PROVIDES PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR THE GENERAL CANCER POPULATION, HOWEVER, CONTROLLED TRIALS ARE SCARCE AND NO STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. THIS CASE SERIES AIMS TO IDENTIFY THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON MEASURES OF COGNITION, FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS (BCS). METHODS: FOUR WOMEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF EARLY-STAGE BREAST CANCER PRIOR TO CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT WERE ADMINISTERED THE FOLLOWING PHYSIOLOGIC MEASURES AT BASELINE, 6, AND 12 WEEKS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY, AND AT ONE AND THREE MONTHS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY: FUNCTIONAL REACH TEST (BALANCE) AND SIT AND REACH TEST (FLEXIBILITY), AND QOL, POMS (MOOD) AND FACT-B (QOL), AT BASELINE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES OF COGNITION WERE MEASURED WITH THE PERCEIVED COGNITION QUESTIONNAIRE (PCQ) AND COGSTATE, A COMPUTERIZED MEASUREMENT OF COGNITION. WOMEN ATTENDED AN IYENGAR-INSPIRED YOGA PROGRAM TWICE A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. QUALITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE ADMINISTERED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE STUDY TO DETERMINE PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. RESULTS: FOUR WOMEN WITH STAGE II BREAST CANCER RANGED IN AGE FROM 44-65 YEARS. COGSTATE COMPUTERIZED TESTING SHOWED CHANGES IN VARYING DOMAINS OF COGNITION THROUGH TREATMENT AND FOLLOW-UP. IMPROVED BALANCE, FLEXIBILITY, AND QOL WERE ALSO NOTED OVER TIME. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE OBSERVED. ANALYSIS OF QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELPFUL AND SUBJECTS CONTINUED THE PRACTICE ELEMENTS OF YOGA INCLUDING RELAXATION, BREATHING, AND STRETCHING. THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THE STUDY WAS PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS DUE TO VARIOUS MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS AND INCLUDED FATIGUE, DECREASED RANGE OF MOTION, AND PAIN. CONCLUSION: THIS CASE SERIES SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY IMPACT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITION DURING AND AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY ADMINISTRATION AS NOTED THROUGH QUANTITATIVE MEASURES. WOMEN DESCRIBE YOGA AS IMPROVING VARIOUS DOMAINS OF QOL THROUGH THE TREATMENT TRAJECTORY. THIS MIND-BODY INTERVENTION MAY STAVE OFF CRCI; HOWEVER, FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED FOR ADDITIONAL RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITION FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT. 2012 4 2096 34 THE EFFECT OF YOGA EXERCISE ON IMPROVING DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE IN WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE ARE AMONG THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO RECEIVE ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. ALTHOUGH EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN YOGA TO DECREASE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH CANCER, FEW STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA HAVE TARGETED PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. YOGA INTERVENTIONS SHOULD BE TESTED TO PROMOTE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. PURPOSE: THIS STUDY EXAMINES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM IN PROMOTING THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH OF WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER UNDERGOING ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN TERMS OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND FATIGUE. METHODS: A SAMPLE OF 60 WOMEN WITH NONMETASTATIC BREAST CANCER WAS RECRUITED. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (N = 30) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 30). A 60-MINUTE, TWICE-PER-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE WAS IMPLEMENTED FOR 8 WEEKS AS THE INTERVENTION FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. THE CONTROL GROUP RECEIVED STANDARD CARE ONLY. RESULTS: ANALYSIS USING THE JOHNSON-NEYMAN PROCEDURE FOUND THAT THE YOGA EXERCISE REDUCED OVERALL FATIGUE AND THE INTERFERENCE OF FATIGUE IN EVERYDAY LIFE FOR THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS. SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS WERE OBTAINED AFTER 4 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION PARTICIPATION FOR THOSE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PATIENTS WITH RELATIVELY LOW STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 3.31 AND 3.22, RESPECTIVELY) AND AFTER 8 WEEKS FOR MOST PATIENTS (APPROXIMATELY 75%) WITH MODERATE STARTING BASELINE VALUES (BASELINE ITEM MEAN VALUE < 7.30 AND 5.34, RESPECTIVELY). THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE LEVELS OF DEPRESSION (F = 1.29, P > .05) OR ANXIETY (F = 2.7, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: THE 8-WEEK YOGA EXERCISE PROGRAM DEVELOPED IN THIS STUDY EFFECTIVELY REDUCED FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER BUT DID NOT REDUCE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. ONCOLOGY NURSES SHOULD STRENGTHEN THEIR CLINICAL HEALTH EDUCATION AND APPLY YOGA TO REDUCE THE FATIGUE EXPERIENCED BY PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER WHO UNDERGO ADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY. 2014 5 2605 31 YOGA FOR PERSISTENT FATIGUE IN BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: RESULTS OF A PILOT STUDY. APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCES PERSISTENT FATIGUE FOR MONTHS OR YEARS AFTER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT COMPLETION. THERE IS A LACK OF EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS FOR CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, PARTICULARLY AMONG CANCER SURVIVORS. THIS SINGLE-ARM PILOT STUDY EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR FATIGUED BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS BASED ON THE IYENGAR TRADITION. IYENGAR YOGA PRESCRIBES SPECIFIC POSES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND CONDITIONS; THIS TRIAL EMPHASIZED POSTURES BELIEVED TO BE EFFECTIVE FOR REDUCING FATIGUE AMONG BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING INVERSIONS AND BACKBENDS PERFORMED WITH THE SUPPORT OF PROPS. TWELVE WOMEN WERE ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL, AND 11 COMPLETED THE FULL 12-WEEK COURSE OF TREATMENT. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN FATIGUE SCORES FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION THAT WAS MAINTAINED AT THE 3-MONTH POST-INTERVENTION FOLLOWUP. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE ALSO OBSERVED IN MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION, DEPRESSED MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THESE RESULTS SUPPORT THE ACCEPTABILITY OF THIS INTERVENTION AND SUGGEST THAT IT MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PERSISTENT POST-TREATMENT FATIGUE. HOWEVER, RESULTS REQUIRE REPLICATION IN A LARGER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. 2011 6 1232 36 FEASIBILITY AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA ON PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AMONG LUNG CANCER PATIENTS. OBJECTIVE: PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT DECLINES IN PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION DURING AND AFTER TREATMENT THAT IMPACT QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) AND SURVIVAL. YOGA IS A POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO MITIGATE FUNCTIONAL DECLINE AMONG PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER. METHODS: A SINGLE GROUP 12-WEEK PILOT TRIAL OF LOW-MODERATE INTENSITY YOGA AMONG PATIENTS WITH STAGE I-IV LUNG CANCER AND THEIR PARTNERS (N = 46; 23 PATIENT-PARTNER DYADS) DURING CANCER TREATMENT FROM TWO HOSPITAL SYSTEMS. FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, AND COHEN D EFFECT SIZES WERE CALCULATED AT 6 AND 12-WEEKS FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL OUTCOMES USING VALIDATED QUESTIONNAIRES AND ASSESSMENTS. RESULTS: AT 6 AND 12-WEEKS, RETENTION WAS 65% AND WITHDRAWALS WERE MAINLY DUE TO DISEASE PROGRESSION. AMONG STUDY COMPLETERS (N = 26; 13 DYADS) ADHERENCE WAS 80%. COMPARING BASELINE TO 12-WEEK MEASUREMENTS, FATIGUE, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, AND SLEEP DISTURBANCE IMPROVED IN 54% OF PARTICIPANTS FOR ALL THREE MEASURES (COHEN'S D = 0.40-0.53). QOL IMPROVED IN 77% OF PARTICIPANTS (COHEN'S D = 0.34). UPPER AND LOWER BODY FLEXIBILITY, AND LOWER BODY STRENGTH IMPROVED IN 92%, 85% AND 77% OF PARTICIPANTS, RESPECTIVELY (COHEN'S D = 0.39-1.08). SIX-MINUTE WALK TEST IMPROVED IN 62% OF PARTICIPANTS AN AVERAGE OF 32 METERS (SD = 11.3; COHEN'S D = 0.17). NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG PATIENTS WITH STAGE I-IV LUNG CANCER INCLUDING ACTIVE TREATMENT, A 12-WEEK PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA PROGRAM IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE, AND IMPROVED PSYCHOSOCIAL AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION. LOW-INTENSITY YOGA MAY BE A COMPLIMENTARY APPROACH TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF CANCER TREATMENT, HOWEVER, MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE EFFICACY OF PARTNER-SUPPORTED YOGA TO MITIGATE FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. 2021 7 1245 35 FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A COMMUNITY-BASED RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. BACKGROUND: TREATMENT-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND DECREASED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL) FREQUENTLY OCCUR DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. ALTHOUGH RESEARCH FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA CAN REDUCE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVE HRQOL AFTER TREATMENT, POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA DURING CHEMOTHERAPY HAVE RECEIVED MINIMAL ATTENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO ESTIMATE ACCRUAL, ADHERENCE, STUDY RETENTION, AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH AN ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS DURING CHEMOTHERAPY. METHODS: WOMEN WITH STAGE I-III BREAST CANCER WERE RECRUITED FROM 3 COMMUNITY CANCER CLINICS AND RANDOMIZED TO 10 WEEKS OF GENTLE YOGA OR WELLNESS EDUCATION. DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, FATIGUE, SLEEP, AND HRQOL WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, MID-INTERVENTION (WEEK 5), AND AFTER INTERVENTION (WEEK 10). RESULTS: 40 WOMEN AGED 29-83 YEARS (MEDIAN, 48 YEARS; 88% WHITE) WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA (N = 22) OR WELLNESS EDUCATION (N = 18). THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS, ADHERENCE, OR STUDY RETENTION. PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK WAS POSITIVE AND COMPARABLE BETWEEN GROUPS. MEANINGFUL WITHIN-GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE IDENTIFIED FOR SLEEP ADEQUACY AND QUANTITY IN YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND FOR SOMNOLENCE IN WELLNESS-EDUCATION PARTICIPANTS. LIMITATIONS: SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND LACK OF A USUAL-CARE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY ESTABLISHED FEASIBILITY OF A COMMUNITY-BASED RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF YOGA AND AN ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP FOR WOMEN UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR BREAST CANCER. PRELIMINARY EFFICACY ESTIMATES SUGGEST THAT YOGA IMPROVES SLEEP ADEQUACY SYMPTOM SEVERITY AND INTERFERENCE REMAINED STABLE DURING CHEMOTHERAPY FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND SNOWED A TREND TOWARD INCREASING IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTED OBSTACLES TO MULTISITE YOGA RESEARCH DURING CANCER TREATMENT. FUNDING/SPONSORSHIP: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (3U10 CA081851, PI; SHAW; R25 CA122061, PI: AVIS); TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE INSTITUTE, WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. 2015 8 2673 23 YOGA IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO ACCESS THE EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: YOGA IS GROWING IN POPULARITY, BUT ITS BENEFITS AND INTEGRATION INTO PRIMARY CARE REMAIN UNCERTAIN. HERE, WE DETERMINE YOGA EFFECTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AND EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF INTRODUCING YOGA AT PRIMARY CARE LEVEL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE, LONGITUDINAL, QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY, WITH AN INTERVENTION (N=49) AND A CONTROL GROUP (N=37). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT 24-WEEKS PROGRAM OF ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. OUR PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS QUALITY OF LIFE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, AS WELL AS SATISFACTION LEVEL AND ADHERENCE RATE. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN ALL DOMAINS OF QUALITY OF LIFE AND A REDUCTION OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS. LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT YOGA SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVES PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: YOGA IN PRIMARY CARE IS FEASIBLE, SAFE AND HAS A SATISFACTORY ADHERENCE, AS WELL AS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON PSYCHOLOGICAL QUALITY OF LIFE OF PARTICIPANTS. 2019 9 1242 31 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 10 665 33 EFFECT OF A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. AIM OF THE STUDY: THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH IS AIMED AT DETERMINING THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF WOMEN AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A 10-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME INCLUDED 90-MINUTE YOGA LESSONS ONCE A WEEK. TO ESTIMATE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, QUESTIONNAIRES DEVELOPED BY THE EUROPEAN ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF CANCER (QLQ-C30 AND QLQ-BR23) WERE USED. AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONSISTED OF 12 WOMEN WHO PRACTISED YOGA, A CONTROL GROUP - OF 16 WOMEN WHO DID NOT. BETWEEN GROUPS THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN AGE, TIME FROM OPERATION AND CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH DISEASE, TREATMENT AND PARTICIPATION IN REHABILITATION. RESULTS: OUR RESULTS REVEALED AN IMPROVEMENT OF GENERAL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING AS WELL AS A REDUCTION OF DIFFICULTIES IN DAILY ACTIVITIES AMONG EXERCISING WOMEN. ALSO THEIR FUTURE PROSPECTS ENHANCED - THEY WORRIED LESS ABOUT THEIR HEALTH THAN THEY USED TO BEFORE PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAMME. AS COMPARED TO BASELINE, AMONG EXERCISING WOMEN, FATIGUE, DYSPNOEA AND DISCOMFORT (PAIN, SWELLING, SENSITIVITY) IN THE ARM AND BREAST ON THE OPERATED SIDE DECREASED. CONCLUSIONS: PARTICIPATION IN THE EXERCISING PROGRAMME RESULTED IN AN IMPROVEMENT OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING, REDUCTION OF FATIGUE, DYSPNOEA, AND DISCOMFORT IN THE AREA OF THE BREAST AND ARM ON THE OPERATED SIDE. BASED ON OUR RESULTS AND THOSE OBTAINED IN FOREIGN STUDIES, WE CONCLUDE THAT REHABILITATION WITH THE USE OF YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF THE PATIENTS AFTER BREAST CANCER SURGERY. HOWEVER, WE RECOMMEND FURTHER RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE IN POLAND. 2014 11 1233 26 FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY EFFICACY OF TAILORED YOGA IN SURVIVORS OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER: A PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE: TREATMENT FOR HEAD AND NECK CANCER (HNC) RESULTS IN LONG-TERM TOXICITIES AND INCREASED PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SURVIVOR BURDEN. THERE ARE A LIMITED NUMBER OF TREATMENTS FOR THESE LATE EFFECTS. YOGA POSTURES, BREATH WORK, RELAXATION, AND MEDITATION, MAY IMPROVE THESE LATE EFFECTS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF A TAILORED YOGA PROGRAM IN HNC SURVIVORS AND OBTAIN PRELIMINARY EFFICACY DATA. METHODS: THIS WAS A RANDOMIZED WAIT-LIST CONTROL STUDY OF YOGA-NAIVE HNC SURVIVORS WHO WERE >3 MONTHS POST-CANCER TREATMENT. BASELINE DATA WERE COLLECTED. PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR A WAIT-LIST GROUP. FEASIBILITY AND EFFICACY DATA WERE COLLECTED. AT 4 AND 8 WEEKS, PATIENTS UNDERWENT A REPEAT ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH. WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP PARTICIPANTS WERE OFFERED THE YOGA PROGRAM AFTER DATA COLLECTION. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS EVALUATED FEASIBILITY. MIXED EFFECTS GENERAL LINEAR MODELS WERE USED TO GENERATE ESTIMATES OF THE EFFICACY OUTCOMES. RESULTS: SEVENTY-THREE INDIVIDUALS WERE SCREENED AND 40 WERE ELIGIBLE. ALL ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS CONSENTED AND ENROLLED. FIVE OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP DISCONTINUED EARLY AND NONE IN THE WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. FEASIBILITY WAS AFFIRMED AS PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RETAINED IN THE STUDY, THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS, FIDELITY TO PROTOCOL WAS DEMONSTRATED, AND SATISFACTION RATES WERE HIGH. EFFICACY MEASURES INDICATED POTENTIAL BENEFIT FOR SHOULDER RANGE OF MOTION ( D = 0.57-0.86, P < .05), PAIN ( D = 0.67-0.90, P 6 MONTHS BEFORE RECRUITMENT, AND GROUPED THEM BASED ON PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE (BCY, N = 27) OR NAIVE (BCN, N = 25). DEMOGRAPHY, CANCER HISTORY, DIET, EXERCISE HABITS, AND YOGA SCHEDULE WERE COLLECTED AND TOOLS TO ASSESS STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, GENERAL HEALTH, AND QOL WERE ADMINISTERED. MULTIVARIATE LINEAR REGRESSION WAS DONE TO IDENTIFY PREDICTORS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL VARIABLES. RESULTS: BCY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER STRESS, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, BETTER GENERAL HEALTH, AND QOL (P < 0.001). GLOBAL QOL AND TRAIT ANXIETY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTED BY YOGA PRACTICE; DEPRESSION WAS PREDICTED BY YOGA PRACTICE, ANNUAL INCOME, AND SLEEP QUALITY; STATE ANXIETY WAS PREDICTED BY YOGA PRACTICE AND INCOME; AND STRESS WAS PREDICTED BY YOGA PRACTICE AND SLEEP QUALITY. CONCLUSION: RESULTS INDICATE THAT BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, DOING YOGA, HAVE BETTER PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILES AND ARE ABLE TO DEAL WITH DEMANDING SITUATIONS BETTER. THE PSYCHO-ONCOGENIC MODEL OF CANCER ETIOLOGY SUGGESTS THAT A BETTER PSYCHOLOGICAL STATE IN SURVIVAL HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE PROGNOSIS AND SURVIVAL OUTCOMES AND YOGA MAY BE A SUITABLE PRACTICE FOR STAYING CANCER-FREE FOR A LONGER TIME. 2017 14 1901 30 RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR WOMEN WITH OVARIAN OR BREAST CANCER: FINDINGS FROM A PILOT STUDY. YOGA HAS DEMONSTRATED BENEFIT IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE WITH VARIOUS HEALTH CONDITIONS. THERE ARE, HOWEVER, FEW SYSTEMATIC STUDIES TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CANCER PATIENTS. RESTORATIVE YOGA (RY) IS A GENTLE TYPE OF YOGA THAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS "ACTIVE RELAXATION." THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF THIS PILOT STUDY WERE TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING AN RY INTERVENTION AS A SUPPORTIVE THERAPY FOR WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN OR BREAST CANCER AND TO MEASURE CHANGES IN SELF-REPORTED FATIGUE, PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND WELL-BEING, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. FIFTY-ONE WOMEN WITH OVARIAN (N = 37) OR BREAST CANCER (N = 14) WITH A MEAN AGE OF 58.9 YEARS ENROLLED IN THIS STUDY; THE MAJORITY (61%) WERE ACTIVELY UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT AT THE TIME OF ENROLLMENT. ALL STUDY PARTICIPANTS PARTICIPATED IN 10 WEEKLY 75-MINUTE RY CLASSES THAT COMBINED PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING, AND DEEP RELAXATION. STUDY PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE, IMMEDIATELY POSTINTERVENTION, AND 2 MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE SEEN FOR DEPRESSION, NEGATIVE AFFECT, STATE ANXIETY, MENTAL HEALTH, AND OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE. FATIGUE DECREASED BETWEEN BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION FOLLOW-UP. HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVED BETWEEN BASELINE AND THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS WAS PREDOMINANTLY POSITIVE; RELAXATION AND SHARED GROUP EXPERIENCE WERE TWO COMMON THEMES. 2008 15 1786 23 PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE AMONG PATIENTS WITH BREAST CANCER. OBJECTIVE: EMERGING RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR REDUCING SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. HOWEVER, VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WHO USE YOGA; THUS, THIS STUDY SEEKS TO IDENTIFY THE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA USERS AMONG THIS POPULATION. DESIGN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY STUDY WAS CONDUCTED. SETTING: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT AN OUTPATIENT BREAST ONCOLOGY CLINIC AT A LARGE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. PARTICIPANTS: THREE HUNDRED POSTMENOPAUSAL BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CURRENTLY RECEIVING AROMATASE INHIBITORS WERE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENT: SELF-REPORTED USE OF YOGA FOLLOWING THE CANCER DIAGNOSIS WAS COLLECTED ALONG WITH SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND CLINICAL DATA. MULTIVARIATE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO IDENTIFY INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE AMONG BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. RESULTS: OF 300 PARTICIPANTS, 53 (17.7%) REPORTED HAVING USED YOGA FOLLOWING CANCER DIAGNOSIS. WHITE PATIENTS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO USE YOGA THAN NONWHITE PATIENTS (P = .02). HIGHER EDUCATION LEVEL, LOWER BMI (BODY MASS INDEX), PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT STATUS, PREVIOUS CHEMOTHERAPY, AND RADIATION THERAPY WERE ALL ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER YOGA USE (ALL P < .05). CONTROLLING FOR OTHER FACTORS, GREATER YOGA USE WAS INDEPENDENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER EDUCATION LEVEL (ADJUSTED ODDS RATIO [AOR] 2.72, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI], 1.15-6.46), AND LOWER BMI (AOR 0.25, 95% CI, 0.09-0.66). CONCLUSION: YOGA USE FOLLOWING BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS WAS SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER FOR WHITE PATIENTS AND THOSE WITH LOWER BMI AND HIGHER EDUCATION LEVELS. CONSIDERING ITS POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT IN CANCER, MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND THE ATTITUDES AND BARRIERS TO YOGA USE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH NONWHITE RACE, LOWER EDUCATION, AND HIGHER BMI LEVEL. SUCH INVESTIGATION WILL HELP DESIGN YOGA PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALIGNED TO THE NEEDS OF THESE POPULATIONS. 2010 16 2187 32 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE WORLD ARE FACING AN EPIDEMIC OF MENTAL DISTRESS AMONG THEIR STUDENTS. THE PROBLEM IS TRULY A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE, AFFECTING MANY AND WITH SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. THE GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE-AGENDA CALLS FOR EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS WITH LASTING EFFECTS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG ADULTS. IN THIS STUDY WE AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA, A POPULAR AND WIDELY AVAILABLE MIND-BODY PRACTICE, CAN IMPROVE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. METHODS: WE PERFORMED A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH 202 HEALTHY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE OSLO AREA. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSIGNED TO A YOGA GROUP OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP IN A 1:1 RATIO BY A SIMPLE ONLINE RANDOMISATION PROGRAM. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WAS OFFERED 24 YOGA SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS. MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN AT WEEK 0 (BASELINE), WEEK 12 (POST-INTERVENTION), AND WEEK 24 (FOLLOW-UP). THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS ASSESSED BY THE HSCL-25 QUESTIONNAIRE. ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON THE INTENTION TO TREAT-PRINCIPLE. RESULTS: BETWEEN 24 JANUARY 2017, AND 27 AUGUST 2017, WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 202 STUDENTS TO A YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 100), OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP (N = 102). COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, THE YOGA PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN DISTRESS SYMPTOMS BOTH AT POST-INTERVENTION (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.15, 95% CI -0.26 TO -0.03, P = 0.0110) AND FOLLOW-UP (ADJUSTED DIFFERENCE IN THE MEAN CHANGE -0.18, 95% CI -0.29 TO -0.06, P = 0.0025). SLEEP QUALITY ALSO IMPROVED AT POST-INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS A MODERATELY LARGE AND LASTING EFFECT, AT LEAST FOR SOME MONTHS, REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF DISTRESS AND IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY AMONG STUDENTS. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD SEEK WAYS TO ENHANCE THE EFFECT, ASSESS AN EVEN LONGER FOLLOW-UP PERIOD, INCLUDE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS, AND CONSIDER PERFORMING SIMILAR STUDIES IN OTHER CULTURAL SETTINGS.TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04258540. 2020 17 1363 31 IMPACT AND OUTCOMES OF AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM IN A CANCER CENTRE. BACKGROUND: INDIVIDUALS HAVE INCREASINGLY SOUGHT COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES TO ENHANCE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING DURING CANCER, ALTHOUGH LITTLE EVIDENCE OF THEIR EFFECT IS AVAILABLE. OBJECTIVES: WE INVESTIGATED HOW AN IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM AFFECTS THE SELF-IDENTIFIED WORST SYMPTOM IN A GROUP OF PARTICIPANTS. WHETHER QUALITY OF LIFE, SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING, AND MOOD DISTURBANCE CHANGE OVER THE IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM AND AT 6 WEEKS AFTER THE PROGRAM. HOW, FROM A PARTICIPANT'S PERSPECTIVE, THE IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM COMPLEMENTS CONVENTIONAL CANCER TREATMENT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: THIS PRE-POST INSTRUMENTAL COLLECTIVE CASE STUDY USED A MIXED METHODS DESIGN AND WAS CONDUCTED AT A PRIVATE IYENGAR YOGA STUDIO. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 24 VOLUNTEERS (23 WOMEN, 1 MAN; 88% CAUCASIAN; MEAN AGE: 49 YEARS) WHO WERE CURRENTLY ON TREATMENT OR WHO HAD BEEN TREATED FOR CANCER WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 6 MONTHS, AND WHO PARTICIPATED IN TEN 90-MINUTE WEEKLY IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES. THE MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES WERE MOST-BOTHERSOME SYMPTOM (MEASURE YOUR MEDICAL OUTCOME PROFILE 2 INSTRUMENT), QUALITY OF LIFE AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT OF CHRONIC ILLNESS THERAPY-GENERAL SUBSCALE AND SPIRITUAL SUBSCALE), AND MOOD DISTURBANCE (PROFILE OF MOOD STATES-SHORT FORM). PARTICIPANT PERSPECTIVES WERE OBTAINED IN QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS. RESULTS: STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE REPORTED IN MOST-BOTHERSOME SYMPTOM (T((23)) = 5.242; P < 0.001), QUALITY OF LIFE (F((2,46)) = 14.5; P < 0.001), SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING (F((2,46)) = 14.4; P < 0.001), AND MOOD DISTURBANCE (F((2,46)) = 10.8; P < 0.001) DURING THE PROGRAM. AT FOLLOW-UP, QUALITY OF LIFE (T((21)) = -3.7; P = 0.001) AND MOOD DISTURBANCE (T((21)) = 2.4; P = 0.025) SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED OVER TIME. CATEGORICAL AGGREGATION OF THE INTERVIEW DATA SHOWED THAT PARTICIPANTS FELT THE PROGRAM PROVIDED THEM WITH VARIOUS BENEFITS NOT INCLUDED ON THE OUTCOMES QUESTIONNAIRES. CONCLUSIONS: OVER THE COURSE OF THE IYENGAR YOGA FOR CANCER PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED AN IMPROVEMENT IN OVERALL WELL-BEING. THE PROGRAM WAS ALSO FOUND TO PRESENT PARTICIPANTS WITH A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO CARE AND TO PROVIDE TOOLS TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE THE DEMANDS OF LIVING WITH CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT. 2008 18 123 26 A PILOT STUDY OF YOGA FOR BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS: PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS. BACKGROUND: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROVIDES A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS TO CANCER SURVIVORS, INCLUDING LESSENING THE IMPACT OF DETRIMENTAL CANCER-RELATED SYMPTOMS AND TREATMENT SIDE-EFFECTS (E.G. FATIGUE, NAUSEA), AND IMPROVING OVERALL WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT PILOT STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS AFFORDED BY A 7-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. METHOD: ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS (PER-SCREENED WITH PAR-Q/PAR-MED-X) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE INTERVENTION (N=20) OR CONTROL GROUP (N=18). ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-TESTING ASSESSMENTS IMMEDIATELY BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA PROGRAM, RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: THE YOGA PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (M AGE=51.18 (10.33); 92% FEMALE) INCLUDED PRIMARILY BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS, ON AVERAGE 55.95 (54.39) MONTHS POST-DIAGNOSIS. SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE INTERVENTION AND THE CONTROL GROUP AT POST-INTERVENTION WERE SEEN ONLY IN PSYCHOSOCIAL (I.E. GLOBAL QUALITY OF LIFE, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION, AND DIARRHEA) VARIABLES (ALL P'S <0.05). THERE WERE ALSO TRENDS FOR GROUP DIFFERENCES, IN THE HYPOTHESIZED DIRECTIONS, FOR THE PSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLES OF EMOTIONAL IRRITABILITY, GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS, COGNITIVE DISORGANIZATION, MOOD DISTURBANCE, TENSION, DEPRESSION, AND CONFUSION (ALL P'S <0.10). FINALLY, THERE WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND THE CONTROLS FROM PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION ON A NUMBER OF PHYSICAL FITNESS VARIABLES. CONCLUSIONS: THESE INITIAL FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA HAS SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL AND SHOULD BE FURTHER EXPLORED AS A BENEFICIAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OPTION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. FUTURE RESEARCH MIGHT ATTEMPT TO INCLUDE A BROADER RANGE OF PARTICIPANTS (E.G. OTHER TYPES OF CANCER DIAGNOSES, MALE SUBJECTS), A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE, AND A LONGER PROGRAM DURATION IN AN RCT. 2006 19 719 24 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON MENTAL HEALTH OF INCARCERATED WOMEN: A FEASIBILITY STUDY. BACKGROUND: INCARCERATED WOMEN SHARE A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF MENTAL ILLNESS. ALTHOUGH PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS ARE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN IN PRISON, ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT MODALITIES, SUCH AS IYENGAR YOGA, MAY INCREASE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. OBJECTIVES: THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE (A) TO ADDRESS THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING A GENDER-RESPONSIVE EXERCISE INTERVENTION WITHIN A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION AND (B) TO OBSERVE THE EFFECT OF A GROUP-FORMAT IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM THAT MET TWO SESSIONS A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS ON LEVELS OF DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ANXIETY SYMPTOMS, AND PERCEIVED STRESS AMONG INCARCERATED WOMEN. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN, IN WHICH EACH PARTICIPANT SERVED AS HER OWN CONTROL, WAS USED. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THREE SELF-ADMINISTERED INSTRUMENTS: THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, THE BECK ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE BEFORE TREATMENT (BASELINE) AND DURING TREATMENT (WEEKS 4, 8, AND 12). LINEAR MIXED EFFECTS MODELS WERE USED TO EXAMINE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN MENTAL HEALTH MEASURES OVER TIME, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL AVAILABLE DATA. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH 21 WOMEN INITIALLY PARTICIPATED IN THE INTERVENTION, 6 WOMEN COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION. A SIGNIFICANT LINEAR DECREASE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION OVER TIME, WITH MEAN VALUES CHANGING FROM 24.90 AT BASELINE TO 5.67 AT WEEK 12. THERE WAS A MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY OVER TIME (12.00 AT BASELINE TO 7.33 AT WEEK 12) AND A NONLINEAR CHANGE IN STRESS OVER TIME, WITH DECREASES FROM BASELINE TO WEEK 4 AND SUBSEQUENT INCREASES TO WEEK 12. DISCUSSION: WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROGRAM EXPERIENCED FEWER SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME. FINDINGS FROM THIS STUDY MAY BE USED TO IMPROVE FUTURE INTERVENTIONS FOCUSING ON THE HEALTH OUTCOMES OF INCARCERATED WOMEN. 2010 20 1267 27 FOLLOW-UP OF YOGA OF AWARENESS FOR FIBROMYALGIA: RESULTS AT 3 MONTHS AND REPLICATION IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP. OBJECTIVES: PUBLISHED PRELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED TRIAL SUGGEST THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA OF AWARENESS INTERVENTION MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR IMPROVING SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DEFICITS, AND COPING ABILITIES IN FIBROMYALGIA. THE PRIMARY AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO EVALUATE THE SAME INTERVENTION'S POSTTREATMENT EFFECTS IN A WAIT-LIST GROUP AND TO TEST THE INTERVENTION'S EFFECTS AT 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. METHODS: UNPAIRED T TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE DATA FROM A PER PROTOCOL SAMPLE OF 21 WOMEN IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT AND 18 WOMEN IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP WHO HAD COMPLETED TREATMENT. WITHIN-GROUP PAIRED T TESTS WERE PERFORMED TO COMPARE POSTTREATMENT DATA WITH 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE FIBROMYALGIA IMPACT QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED (FIQR). MULTILEVEL RANDOM-EFFECTS MODELS WERE ALSO USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE RATES AND OUTCOMES. RESULTS: POSTTREATMENT RESULTS IN THE WAIT-LIST GROUP LARGELY MIRRORED RESULTS SEEN AT POSTTREATMENT IN THE IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE IMPROVING BY 31.9% ACROSS THE 2 GROUPS. FOLLOW-UP RESULTS SHOWED THAT PATIENTS SUSTAINED MOST OF THEIR POSTTREATMENT GAINS, WITH THE FIQR TOTAL SCORE REMAINING 21.9% IMPROVED AT 3 MONTHS. YOGA PRACTICE RATES WERE GOOD, AND MORE PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE BENEFIT FOR A VARIETY OF OUTCOMES. DISCUSSION: THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT THE BENEFITS OF YOGA OF AWARENESS IN FIBROMYALGIA ARE REPLICABLE AND CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2012