1 501 233 COMMUNITY BASED YOGA CLASSES FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES: AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A POPULAR THERAPY FOR DIABETES BUT ITS EFFICACY IS CONTESTED. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY OF RESEARCHING COMMUNITY BASED YOGA CLASSES IN TYPE 2 DIABETES WITH A VIEW TO INFORMING THE DESIGN OF A DEFINITIVE, MULTI-CENTRE TRIAL METHODS: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH IN-DEPTH PROCESS EVALUATION. THE SETTING WAS TWO MULTI-ETHNIC BOROUGHS IN LONDON, UK; ONE WITH AVERAGE AND ONE WITH LOW MEAN SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION SCORE. CLASSES WERE HELD AT A SPORTS CENTRE OR GP SURGERY. PARTICIPANTS WERE 59 PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES NOT TAKING INSULIN, RECRUITED FROM GENERAL PRACTICE LISTS OR OPPORTUNISTICALLY BY GENERAL PRACTICE STAFF. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WERE OFFERED 12 WEEKS OF A TWICE-WEEKLY 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASS; THE CONTROL GROUP WAS A WAITING LIST FOR THE YOGA CLASSES. BOTH GROUPS RECEIVED ADVICE AND LEAFLETS ON HEALTHY LIFESTYLE AND WERE ENCOURAGED TO EXERCISE. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS HBA1C. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED ATTENDANCE, WEIGHT, WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE, LIPID LEVELS, BLOOD PRESSURE, UKPDS CARDIOVASCULAR RISK SCORE, DIABETES-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (ADDQOL), AND SELF-EFFICACY. PROCESS MEASURES WERE ATTENDANCE AT YOGA SESSIONS, SELF-REPORTED FREQUENCY OF PRACTICE BETWEEN TAUGHT SESSIONS, AND QUALITATIVE DATA (INTERVIEWS WITH PATIENTS AND THERAPISTS, ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION OF THE YOGA CLASSES, AND ANALYSIS OF DOCUMENTS INCLUDING MINUTES OF MEETINGS, CORRESPONDENCE, AND EXERCISE PLANS). RESULTS: DESPITE BROAD INCLUSION CRITERIA, AROUND TWO-THIRDS OF THE PATIENTS ON GP DIABETIC REGISTERS PROVED INELIGIBLE, AND 90% OF THE REMAINDER DECLINED TO PARTICIPATE. MEAN AGE OF PARTICIPANTS WAS 60 +/- 10 YEARS. ATTENDANCE AT YOGA CLASSES WAS AROUND 50%. NOBODY DID THE EXERCISES REGULARLY AT HOME. YOGA TEACHERS FELT THAT MOST PARTICIPANTS WERE UNSUITABLE FOR 'STANDARD' YOGA EXERCISES BECAUSE OF LIMITED FLEXIBILITY, LACK OF BASIC FITNESS, CO-MORBIDITY, AND LACK OF CONFIDENCE. THERE WAS A SMALL FALL IN HBA1C IN THE YOGA GROUP WHICH WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND WHICH WAS NOT SUSTAINED SIX MONTHS LATER, AND NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OTHER OUTCOME MEASURES. CONCLUSION: THE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN TYPE 2 DIABETES SUGGESTED IN SOME PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE NOT CONFIRMED. POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS (APART FROM LACK OF EFFICACY) INCLUDE RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES; PRACTICAL AND MOTIVATIONAL BARRIERS TO CLASS ATTENDANCE; PHYSICAL AND MOTIVATIONAL BARRIERS TO ENGAGING IN THE EXERCISES; INADEQUATE INTENSITY AND/OR DURATION OF YOGA INTERVENTION; AND INSUFFICIENT PERSONALISATION OF EXERCISES TO INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. ALL THESE FACTORS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN DESIGNING FUTURE TRIALS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NATIONAL RESEARCH REGISTER (1410) AND CURRENT CONTROLLED TRIALS (ISRCTN63637211). 2009 2 1707 49 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 3 2353 49 UTILIZATION OF 3-MONTH YOGA PROGRAM FOR ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES: A PILOT STUDY. VARIOUS MODES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, COMBINED WITH DIETING, HAVE BEEN WIDELY RECOMMENDED TO PREVENT OR DELAY TYPE 2 DIABETES. AMONG THESE, YOGA HOLDS PROMISE FOR REDUCING RISK FACTORS FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES BY PROMOTING WEIGHT LOSS, IMPROVING GLUCOSE LEVELS AND REDUCING BLOOD PRESSURE AND LIPID LEVELS. THIS PILOT STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTING A 12-WEEK YOGA PROGRAM AMONG ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. TWENTY-THREE ADULTS (19 WHITES AND 4 NON-WHITES) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP OR THE EDUCATIONAL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 3-MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION WITH SESSIONS TWICE PER WEEK AND THE EDUCATIONAL GROUP RECEIVED GENERAL HEALTH EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS EVERY 2 WEEKS. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AND HAD BLOOD TESTS AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. EFFECT SIZES WERE REPORTED TO SUMMARIZE THE EFFICACY OF THE INTERVENTION. ALL PARTICIPANTS ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION COMPLETED THE YOGA PROGRAM WITHOUT COMPLICATION AND EXPRESSED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE PROGRAM (99.2%). THEIR YOGA SESSION ATTENDANCE RANGED FROM 58.3 TO 100%. COMPARED WITH THE EDUCATION GROUP, THE YOGA GROUP EXPERIENCED IMPROVEMENTS IN WEIGHT, BLOOD PRESSURE, INSULIN, TRIGLYCERIDES AND EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY INDICATED BY SMALL TO LARGE EFFECT SIZES. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY INDICATES THAT A YOGA PROGRAM WOULD BE A POSSIBLE RISK REDUCTION OPTION FOR ADULTS AT HIGH RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. IN ADDITION, YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS AN APPROACH TO REDUCING CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTORS AND INCREASING EXERCISE SELF-EFFICACY FOR THIS GROUP. 2011 4 1243 58 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 5 1242 60 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 6 1902 61 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 7 279 47 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 8 2385 50 YOGA ADHERENCE IN OLDER WOMEN SIX MONTHS POST-OSTEOARTHRITIS INTERVENTION. BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A HIGHLY PREVALENT CONDITION WORLDWIDE. YOGA IS POTENTIALLY A SAFE AND FEASIBLE OPTION FOR MANAGING OA; HOWEVER, THE EXTENT OF LONG-TERM YOGA ADHERENCE IS UNKNOWN. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE YOGA ADHERENCE 6 MONTHS AFTER PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED AN OA INTERVENTION PROGRAM. METHODS: THIS FOLLOW-UP STUDY EMPLOYED A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESCRIPTIVE DESIGN USING SURVEY, INTERVIEW, AND VIDEO RECORDINGS TO COLLECT BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA. A TOTAL OF 31 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED AND RETURNED THE SURVEY, AND 10 VIDEOTAPED THEIR YOGA PRACTICE FOR 1 WEEK AND PARTICIPATED IN A FACE-TO-FACE INTERVIEW. RESULTS: A MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS (N=19, 61%) REPORTED THAT THEY WERE STILL PRACTICING YOGA 6 MONTHS AFTER THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. ON AVERAGE, PARTICIPANTS REPORTED PRACTICING 21 TO 30 MINUTES OF YOGA PER DAY (32%) 3 TO 4 DAYS PER WEEK (47%). "FEELING GOOD OR FEELING BETTER AFTER YOGA PRACTICE" (50%) AND "SET ASIDE A TIME" (31%) WERE THE MOST COMMON MOTIVATING FACTORS FOR YOGA ADHERENCE. DEALING WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS (42%), HAVING PAIN (25%), AND BEING TOO BUSY (25%) WERE THE MAJOR BARRIERS. QUALITATIVE DATA REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS: (1) USED MINDFUL YOGA MOVEMENT, (2) INCORPORATED OTHER FORMS OF EXERCISE AND RESOURCES DURING YOGA PRACTICE, AND (3) CREATED PERSONALIZED YOGA PROGRAMS. ADDITIONALLY, THE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS OA PAIN, INCREASED PHYSICAL ENDURANCE, AND MORE RELAXATION. CONCLUSION: MANY PARTICIPANTS ADHERED TO YOGA PRACTICE 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION ALTHOUGH NOT AT THE FREQUENCY AND SEQUENCE AS PRESCRIBED. FEELING BETTER AFTER PRACTICE MOTIVATED PARTICIPANTS, BUT OTHER FACTORS REMAINED KEY BARRIERS. 2015 9 2609 62 YOGA FOR QUALITY OF LIFE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC DISEASES, INCLUDING HEART DISEASE, STROKE, CANCER, AND CHRONIC PULMONARY DISEASE ARE THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH AND DISABILITY WORLDWIDE. COMPOUNDING SYMPTOMS AND LOSS OF FUNCTION, PEOPLE LIVING WITH CHRONIC DISEASE OFTEN EXPERIENCE REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). VARIOUS PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICES HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO RELIEVE STRESS AND IMPROVE QOL. YOGA IS A PHYSICAL AND MENTAL PRACTICE THAT MAY BE A VIABLE APPROACH FOR IMPROVING QOL IN PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND SUMMARIZE THE EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA ON QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. DESIGN: THE STUDY DESIGN WAS A A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH QUALITATIVE SYNTHESIS. METHODS: WE INCLUDED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS THAT EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON QOL OR HEALTH-RELATED QOL (HRQOL) FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. WE INCLUDED ONLY STUDIES THAT USED AT LEAST 1 PREVIOUSLY VALIDATED MEASURE OF QOL OR HRQOL AND SPECIFIED A MINIMUM DURATION OF FOLLOW-UP OF AT LEAST 1 WK. INTERVENTIONS: WE INCLUDED BOTH MOVEMENT-BASED AND BREATH-BASED YOGA PRACTICES. STUDIES THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS PART OF A LARGER INTERVENTION PROGRAM (EG, MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION TRAINING) OR STUDIES THAT DID NOT PROVIDE FINDINGS SPECIFIC TO YOGA WERE EXCLUDED. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME ANALYZED WAS IMPROVEMENT IN QOL AS MEASURED BY A VALIDATED QOL OR HRQOL SCALE. RESULTS: AMONG THE 1488 STUDIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED ON INITIAL SEARCH, 7 ARTICLES MET ALL INCLUSION CRITERIA. FIVE STUDIES REPORTED A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER USUAL CARE ALONE FOR IMPROVEMENT OF QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE, BUT THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DIFFERENCES WAS CLEAR IN ONLY 1 TRIAL. WE FOUND CONSIDERABLE HETEROGENEITY AMONG THE INCLUDED STUDIES AND STUDY QUALITY WAS GENERALLY LOW. CONCLUSIONS: MORE HIGH-QUALITY RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE THE VALUE OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING QOL IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE. 2019 10 2628 47 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 2222 63 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 12 1413 38 IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH REFRACTORY LOW BACK PAIN IN AN OUTPATIENT CLINIC SETTING. PURPOSE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS WITH OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITATIVE FEEDBACK. METHOD: EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT WAS ASSESSED USING A PRETEST/POSTTEST DESIGN OF PATIENTS WHO VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE IN YOGA CLASSES AS PART OF THEIR BACK PAIN MANAGEMENT. MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED LOW BACK PAIN RATING, PERCEPTION OF BACK PAIN INTERFERENCE WITH DAILY ACTIVITIES, AND SELF-EFFICACY IN DEALING WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. FINDINGS: ALTHOUGH NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS WERE FOUND DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, MOST PARTICIPANTS DEMONSTRATED IMPROVED INDIVIDUAL SCORES ON ALL MEASUREMENT SURVEYS INCLUDING QUALITATIVE COMMENTS. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THIS PILOT STUDY, FURTHER STUDIES ON IMPLEMENTING YOGA INTO THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ARE ENCOURAGED. 2019 13 282 59 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 14 1997 60 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 15 87 60 A MIXED METHODS EVALUATION OF AN INDIVIDUALISED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: TO EXPLORE PATIENTS' EXPERIENCES OF AN INDIVIDUALISED YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA), SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF ITS ACCEPTABILITY AND IMPACT ON PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES. DESIGN: TEN PATIENTS TOOK PART IN A 16 WEEK YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION IN A HOSPITAL SETTING, CONSISTING OF 10 ONE-TO-ONE CONSULTATIONS WITH A YOGA THERAPIST FOLLOWED BY TWO GROUP REVIEW SESSIONS. CHANGES IN HEALTH (EQ-5D, HADS) WERE ASSESSED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION AND AT 12-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED POST-INTERVENTION AND ANALYSED USING THEMATIC ANALYSIS. RESULTS: ATTENDANCE OF THE 1-TO-1 SESSIONS WAS HIGH (98 %) AND ALL PARTICIPANTS REPORTED STRONG COMMITMENT TO THEIR PERSONALISED HOME PRACTICE. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN MEASURES OF DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, PAIN, QUALITY OF LIFE AND GENERAL HEALTH AT POST-INTERVENTION AND 12-MONTHS (P < 0.05). IN INTERVIEWS, ALL BUT ONE PARTICIPANT REPORTED POSITIVE CHANGES TO THEIR SYMPTOMS AND SEVERAL REPORTED REDUCTIONS IN THEIR MEDICATION AND BROADER BENEFITS SUCH AS IMPROVED SLEEP, MOOD AND ENERGY, ENABLING RE-ENGAGEMENT WITH LIFE. THE PERSONALLY TAILORED NATURE OF THE PRACTICE AND PERCEIVED BENEFITS WERE KEY MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS. PARTICULAR VALUE WAS PLACED ON THE THERAPEUTIC FUNCTION OF THE CONSULTATION AND PROVISION OF TOOLS TO MANAGE STRESS AND BUILD RESILIENCE. CONCLUSION: THIS YOGA THERAPY INTERVENTION WAS POSITIVELY RECEIVED BY PATIENTS WITH RA, WITH HIGH LEVELS OF ADHERENCE TO BOTH THE TREATMENTS AND TAILORED HOME PRACTICE. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA THERAPY HAS POTENTIAL AS AN ADJUNCT THERAPY TO IMPROVE RA SYMPTOMS, INCREASE SELF-CARE BEHAVIOURS AND MANAGE STRESS AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SUCH AS ANXIETY. A LARGER MULTI-CENTRE STUDY IS THEREFORE WARRANTED. 2020 16 2036 62 TELE-YOGA IN LONG TERM ILLNESS-PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL INCLUDING A PROCESS EVALUATION AND RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: FOR PEOPLE WITH LONG-TERM ILLNESS, DEBILITATED BY SEVERE SYMPTOMS, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO ATTEND REGULAR YOGA CLASSES. WE HAVE THEREFORE DEVELOPED A TELE-HEALTH FORMAT OF YOGA THAT CAN BE DELIVERED IN THE HOME. THE TELE-YOGA WAS CO-DESIGNED WITH MEMBERS OF A PATIENT-ORGANISATION, YOGA-INSTRUCTOR, AND IT-TECHNICIAN. IT INCLUDES LIVE-STREAMED GROUP-YOGA SESSIONS TWICE A WEEK AND AN APP WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO SELF-PERFORM YOGA. AIM: TO DESCRIBE A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT) INCLUDING A PROCESS EVALUATION AND REPORT ON A PILOT STUDY EVALUATING METHOD- AND INTERVENTION-RELATED COMPONENTS INCLUDING FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND EFFICACY. METHODS: TEN PARTICIPANTS WITH HEART FAILURE AGED BETWEEN 41-76 YEARS WERE RANDOMISED TO TELE-YOGA (N = 5) OR TO THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 5). IN THE PILOT STUDY RECRUITMENT, ENROLMENT, RANDOMISATION, AND DATA COLLECTION OF ALL OUTCOMES INCLUDING PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND PROCESS EVALUATION MEASURES WERE TESTED ACCORDING TO THE STUDY PROTOCOL. FIDELITY, ADHERENCE AND ACCEPTABILITY TO THE TELE-YOGA GROUP TRAINING AND APP USE WAS DETERMINED. SAFETY WAS ASSESSED BY ADVERSE EVENTS. RESULTS: THE PILOT REVEALED THAT THE METHODOLOGICAL ASPECT OF THE PROTOCOL WORKED SUFFICIENTLY IN ALL ASPECTS EXCEPT FOR MISSING DATA IN THE PHYSICAL TEST OF TWO PARTICIPANTS AND ONE PARTICIPANT IN THE CONTROL-GROUP THAT DROPPED OUT OF THE STUDY AT THREE MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. THE TELE-YOGA TRAINING DID NOT LEAD TO ANY ADVERSE EVENTS OR INJURIES, ADHERENCE OF TELE-YOGA WAS SUFFICIENT ACCORDING TO PRESET LIMITS. THE TELE-YOGA INTERVENTION ALSO SHOWED SOME FAVOURABLE TRENDS OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMPOSITE-END POINT COMPARED TO THE ACTIVE CONTROL GROUP. HOWEVER, SINCE DATA ONLY WAS PRESENTED DESCRIPTIVELY DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, THE IMPACT OF THESE TRENDS SHOULD BE INTERPRETED CAREFULLY. CONCLUSION: OUR PILOT STUDY SHOWED PROMISING RESULTS IN FEASIBILITY, SAFETY, AND ACCEPTABILITY OF THE TELE-YOGA INTERVENTION. SOME CHANGES IN THE PROTOCOL HAVE BEEN MADE TO DECREASE THE RISK OF MISSING DATA IN THE MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND IN THE FULL-SCALE RCT NOW ONGOING THE RESULTS OF THE SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATION FOR 300 PARTICIPANTS HAVE INCLUDED THE ESTIMATED LEVEL OF DROP OUTS AND MISSING DATA. 2021 17 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 18 2754 47 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 19 721 54 EFFECT OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. LOW BACK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED REASONS FOR THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. A RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN SUBJECTS WITH NON-SPECIFIC CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN COMPARING IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY TO AN EDUCATIONAL CONTROL GROUP. BOTH PROGRAMS WERE 16 WEEKS LONG. SUBJECTS WERE PRIMARILY SELF-REFERRED AND SCREENED BY PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS FOR STUDY OF INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME FOR THE STUDY WAS FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDING PRESENT PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN MEDICATION USAGE, PAIN-RELATED ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS, AND SPINAL RANGE OF MOTION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTIONS. SUBJECTS HAD LOW BACK PAIN FOR 11.2+/-1.54 YEARS AND 48% USED PAIN MEDICATION. OVERALL, SUBJECTS PRESENTED WITH LESS PAIN AND LOWER FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY THAN SUBJECTS IN OTHER PUBLISHED INTERVENTION STUDIES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OF THE 60 SUBJECTS ENROLLED, 42 (70%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES OF OUTCOMES IN THE CATEGORIES OF MEDICAL, FUNCTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS INDICATED THAT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS EXISTED IN FUNCTIONAL AND MEDICAL OUTCOMES BUT NOT FOR THE PSYCHOLOGICAL OR BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES. UNIVARIATE ANALYSES OF MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES REVEALED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTENSITY (64%), FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY (77%) AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE (88%) IN THE YOGA GROUP AT THE POST AND 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. THESE PRELIMINARY DATA INDICATE THAT THE MAJORITY OF SELF-REFERRED PERSONS WITH MILD CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WILL COMPLY TO AND REPORT IMPROVEMENT ON MEDICAL AND FUNCTIONAL PAIN-RELATED OUTCOMES FROM IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY. 2005 20 976 47 EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION PROGRAM WITH HEALTH EDUCATION AND HATHA YOGA ON THE HEALTH OF PROFESSIONALS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS. INTRODUCTION: MUSCULOSKELETAL AND MENTAL DISORDERS ARE RELEVANT IN THE WORKERS' DISEASE PROCESS, AND ERGONOMIC INTERVENTIONS THAT INCLUDE GUIDANCE AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE CONSIST OF STRATEGIES OF HEALTH PROMOTION. INTEGRATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES ARE PRESENTED AS A POSSIBILITY OF PROMOTING COMPREHENSIVE CARE AND YOGA CONSISTS OF A THERAPEUTIC ALTERNATIVE. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION INCLUDING EDUCATIONAL MEASURES AND HATHA YOGA IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS IN PROFESSIONALS OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. METHODS: WE SELECTED 125 PROFESSIONALS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS OF INTENSITY >/= 1 WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA AND RANDOMLY ASSIGNED THEM TO INTERVENTION (N = 63) AND CONTROL (N = 62) GROUPS, REQUESTING ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONNAIRES: INITIAL CHARACTERIZATION, THE NORDIC MUSCULOSKELETAL QUESTIONNAIRE AND A NUMERIC SCALE, THE PAIN DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE. THE INTERVENTION GROUP WENT THROUGH A 12-WEEK PROGRAM WITH EDUCATIONAL MEASURES AND HATHA YOGA. AT THE END OF THE STUDY PERIOD, BOTH GROUPS ANSWERED TO THE QUESTIONNAIRES ONCE AGAIN. WE COMPARED DATA BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION AND BETWEEN GROUPS. RESULTS: BOTH GROUPS PRESENTED IMPROVEMENTS AFTER 12 WEEKS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEAN RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE FIRST AND SECOND DATA COLLECTIONS REVEALED THAT THE LEVELS OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS DECREASED MORE STRONGLY IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. CONSIDERING THAT THE INTERVENTION GROUP BEGAN THE PROGRAM IN WORSE CLINICAL CONDITIONS, THE PROGRAM LED TO A REDUCTION IN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS, BUT THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP TO REACH BETTER RESULTS THAN THE CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: THE INTERVENTION PROMOTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE INTENSITY OF PAIN, DISABILITY, AND STRESS AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE INTERVENTION GROUP. SIMILAR PROGRAMS COULD BE EXPLORED IN THE PROMOTION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH. 2020