1 1247 182 FEASIBILITY OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: THE HEALTHY ACTIVE AND IN CONTROL (HA1C) STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY:HEALTHY ACTIVE AND IN CONTROL (HA1C), EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR ADULTS WITH TYPE-2 DIABETES (T2DM). DESIGN: A 2-ARM RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL COMPARING IYENGAR YOGA WITH A SUPERVISED WALKING PROGRAM. SETTING: HOSPITAL BASED GYM-TYPE FACILITY AND CONFERENCE ROOMS. INTERVENTIONS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK PROGRAM OF EITHER; (1) A TWICE WEEKLY IYENGAR YOGA, OR (2) A TWICE-WEEKLY PROGRAM OF STANDARD EXERCISE (SE). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: PRIMARY OUTCOMES ASSESSED FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY, INCLUDING ENROLLMENT RATES, ATTENDANCE, STUDY COMPLETION, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDED HBA1C, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND MEASURES OF DIABETES-RELATED EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, SELF-CARE AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). ASSESSMENTS WERE CONDUCTED AT BASELINE, END OF TREATMENT, 6-MONTHS AND 9-MONTHS POST-ENROLLMENT. RESULTS: OF 175 ADULTS SCREENED FOR ELIGIBILITY, 48 (30 WOMEN, 18 MEN) WERE ELIGIBLE AND ENROLLED. THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR INELIGIBILITY WERE ORTHOPEDIC RESTRICTIONS, HBA1C LEVELS <6.5 AND BMI > 42. SESSION ATTENDANCE WAS HIGH (82% OF SESSIONS ATTENDED), AS WAS FOLLOW-UP COMPLETION RATES (92%). PROGRAM SATISFACTION RATED ON A 5-POINT SCALE, WAS HIGH AMONG BOTH YOGA (M = 4.63, SD = 0.57) AND SE (M = 4.77, SD = 0.52) PARTICIPANTS. OVERALL 44 ADVERSE EVENTS (26 YOGA, 18 SE) WERE REPORTED. OF THESE, SIX WERE DEEMED "POSSIBLY RELATED" (E.G., NECK STRAIN, BACK PAIN), AND 1 "PROBABLY RELATED" (ANKLE PAIN AFTER TREADMILL) TO THE STUDY. YOGA PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN HBA1C. MEDIAN HBA1C AT 6 MONTHS WAS 1.25 UNITS LOWER FOR YOGA COMPARED TO SE (95% CI: -2.54 -0.04). GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN DIABETES SELF-CARE, QUALITY OF LIFE, AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS WERE SEEN AMONG YOGA PARTICIPANTS THAN AMONG SE PARTICIPANTS. INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS WERE SEEN IN YOGA BUT NOT IN SE. CONCLUSIONS: THE YOGA INTERVENTION WAS HIGHLY FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, AND PRODUCED IMPROVEMENTS IN BLOOD GLUCOSE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL MEASURES OF DIABETES MANAGEMENT. 2019 2 2811 50 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 3 1242 52 FEASIBILITY OF A YOGA INTERVENTION TO DECREASE PAIN IN OLDER WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF OLDER WOMEN SUFFER FROM CHRONIC PAIN, WHICH CAN DECREASE QUALITY OF LIFE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF A FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO DECREASE PAIN AND RELATED OUTCOMES AMONG WOMEN AGED 60 OR OLDER. METHODS: FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA CLASSES WERE HELD TWICE WEEKLY FOR 1 HOUR AND LED BY A CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE INTERVENTION GROUP ATTENDED THE YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS AND RECEIVED SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS FOR AT-HOME PRACTICE. THOSE RANDOMIZED TO THE CONTROL GROUP WERE ASKED TO MAINTAIN THEIR NORMAL DAILY ROUTINE. FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION RATES, CLASS AND HOME PRACTICE ADHERENCE RATES, AND PARTICIPANT SATISFACTION SURVEYS. OUTCOME MEASURES (SELF-REPORTED PAIN, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, FUNCTIONAL FITNESS, QUALITY OF LIFE, RESILIENCE, AND SELF-REPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION. PAIRED T-TESTS OR WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TESTS WERE USED TO EXAMINE CHANGES IN OUTCOME MEASURES WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. RESULTS: THIRTY-EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY WHITE, COLLEGE-EDUCATED, AND HIGHER FUNCTIONING, DESPITE EXPERIENCING VARIOUS FORMS OF CHRONIC PAIN. ATTENDANCE AND RETENTION RATES WERE HIGH (91 AND 97%, RESPECTIVELY) AND THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS WERE SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA PROGRAM (89%) AND WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS (87%). INTERVENTION PARTICIPANTS ALSO EXPERIENCED REDUCTIONS IN PAIN INTERFERENCE AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ENERGY AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONING. CONCLUSIONS: THIS PILOT STUDY PROVIDES ESSENTIAL DATA TO INFORM A FULL SCALE RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF FLOW-RESTORATIVE YOGA FOR OLDER WOMEN WITH CHRONIC PAIN. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD EMPHASIZE STRATEGIES TO RECRUIT A MORE DIVERSE STUDY POPULATION, PARTICULARLY OLDER WOMEN AT HIGHER RISK OF DISABILITY AND FUNCTIONAL DECLINE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV , NCT03790098 . REGISTERED 31 DECEMBER 2018 - RETROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED. 2020 4 1902 52 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 5 2452 68 YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY FOR ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES: DESIGN AND RATIONALE OF THE HEALTHY, ACTIVE, AND IN CONTROL (HA1C) STUDY. DIABETES IS THE SEVENTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR MOST PATIENTS, MEDICATION ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO ACHIEVE GLYCEMIC CONTROL; ATTENTION MUST ALSO BE PAID TO MULTIPLE HEALTHY BEHAVIORS INCLUDING DIET, REGULAR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND STRESS MANAGEMENT. YOGA, A MINDFULNESS PRACTICE WITH EMPHASIS ON RELAXATION, MEDITATION, AND DEEP BREATHING, MAY HAVE SPECIAL RELEVANCE TO PEOPLE WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS (T2DM). YOGA PRACTICE MAY POSITIVELY AFFECT STRESS AND OTHER SELF-CARE TASKS THAT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED GLYCEMIC CONTROL. THE HEALTHY, ACTIVE, AND IN CONTROL (HA1C) STUDY IS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AMONG ADULT PATIENTS WITH T2DM. IN THIS PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, ADULTS WITH T2DM WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION GIVEN TWICE WEEKLY, OR A TWICE-WEEKLY 12-WEEK PROGRAM OF TRADITIONAL EXERCISE (E.G., WALKING, STATIONARY CYCLING). ASSESSMENTS ARE CONDUCTED AT THE END OF TREATMENT (12 WEEKS) AND AT 3 AND 6 MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. THE HA1C STUDY WILL ASSESS FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY (E.G., ATTENDANCE/RETENTION RATES, SATISFACTION WITH PROGRAM), GLYCEMIC OUTCOMES (E.G., HBA1C, FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE, POSTPRANDIAL BLOOD GLUCOSE), AND CHANGES IN PHYSIOLOGICAL (E.G., SALIVARY CORTISOL) AND BEHAVIORAL FACTORS (E.G., PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, DIET) RELEVANT TO THE MANAGEMENT OF T2DM. FOCUS GROUPS ARE CONDUCTED AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION TO EXPLORE PARTICIPANTS' EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAM AND THEIR PERCEPTION OF THE POTENTIAL UTILITY OF YOGA FOR DIABETES MANAGEMENT. 2018 6 2628 55 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 7 2353 48 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 8 279 42 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 9 282 47 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 10 2830 53 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 11 428 44 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 12 1180 52 EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. STUDY DESIGN: THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICACY OF IYENGAR YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) WERE ASSESSED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT AND PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS. NINETY SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A YOGA (N = 43) OR CONTROL GROUP (N = 47) RECEIVING STANDARD MEDICAL CARE. PARTICIPANTS WERE FOLLOWED 6 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE IYENGAR YOGA THERAPY ON CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. YOGA SUBJECTS WERE HYPOTHESIZED TO REPORT GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN MEDICATION USAGE THAN CONTROLS. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: CLBP IS A MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACT. PILOT STUDIES OF YOGA AND BACK PAIN HAVE REPORTED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CLINICALLY IMPORTANT OUTCOMES. METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED THROUGH SELF-REFERRAL AND HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REFERRALS ACCORDING TO EXPLICIT INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA. YOGA SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN 24 WEEKS OF BIWEEKLY YOGA CLASSES DESIGNED FOR CLBP. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT 12 (MIDWAY), 24 (IMMEDIATELY AFTER), AND 48 WEEKS (6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP) AFTER THE START OF THE INTERVENTION USING THE OSWESTRY DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE, A VISUAL ANALOG SCALE, THE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY, AND A PAIN MEDICATION-USAGE QUESTIONNAIRE. RESULTS: USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WITH REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA (GROUP X TIME), SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND PAIN INTENSITY WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP AT 24 WEEKS. A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER PROPORTION OF YOGA SUBJECTS ALSO REPORTED CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS AT BOTH 12 AND 24 WEEKS. IN ADDITION, DEPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN YOGA SUBJECTS. FURTHERMORE, WHILE A REDUCTION IN PAIN MEDICATION OCCURRED, THIS WAS COMPARABLE IN BOTH GROUPS. WHEN RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING PER-PROTOCOL ANALYSIS, IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED FOR ALL OUTCOMES IN THE YOGA GROUP, INCLUDING AGREATER TREND FOR REDUCED PAIN MEDICATION USAGE. ALTHOUGH SLIGHTLY LESS THAN AT 24 WEEKS, THE YOGA GROUP HAD STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION COMPARED TO STANDARD MEDICAL CARE 6-MONTHS POSTINTERVENTION. CONCLUSION: YOGA IMPROVES FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY, PAIN INTENSITY, AND DEPRESSION IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. THERE WAS ALSO A CLINICALLY IMPORTANT TREND FOR THE YOGA GROUP TO REDUCE THEIR PAIN MEDICATION USAGE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP. 2009 13 721 53 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 14 1859 50 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 15 2644 46 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 1379 57 IMPACT OF IYENGAR YOGA ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOUNG WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. OBJECTIVE: RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) IS A CHRONIC, DISABLING DISEASE THAT CAN GREATLY COMPROMISE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL). THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A 6-WEEK TWICE/WEEK IYENGAR YOGA PROGRAM ON HRQOL OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH RA COMPARED WITH A USUAL-CARE WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. METHODS: THE PROGRAM WAS DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE PRIMARY OUTCOME OF HRQOL INCLUDING PAIN AND DISABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS. ASSESSMENTS WERE COLLECTED PRETREATMENT, POSTTREATMENT, AND AT 2 MONTHS AFTER TREATMENT. WEEKLY RATINGS OF ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, PAIN, AND SLEEP WERE ALSO RECORDED. A TOTAL OF 26 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION (YOGA=11; USUAL-CARE WAITLIST=15). ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE FEMALE (MEAN AGE=28 Y). RESULTS: OVERALL ATTRITION WAS LOW AT 15%. ON AVERAGE, WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP ATTENDED 96% OF THE YOGA CLASSES. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. RELATIVE TO THE USUAL-CARE WAITLIST, WOMEN ASSIGNED TO THE YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT ON STANDARDIZED MEASURES OF HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, GENERAL HEALTH, MOOD, FATIGUE, ACCEPTANCE OF CHRONIC PAIN, AND SELF-EFFICACY REGARDING PAIN AT POSTTREATMENT. ALMOST HALF OF THE YOGA GROUP REPORTED CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT. ANALYSIS OF THE UNCONTROLLED EFFECTS AND MAINTENANCE OF TREATMENT EFFECTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS IN HRQOL GENERAL HEALTH, PAIN DISABILITY, AND WEEKLY RATINGS OF PAIN, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION WERE MAINTAINED AT FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT A BRIEF IYENGAR YOGA INTERVENTION IS A FEASIBLE AND SAFE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH RA, LEADING TO HRQOL, PAIN DISABILITY, FATIGUE, AND MOOD BENEFITS. MOREOVER, IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PAIN DISABILITY, AND MOOD PERSISTED AT THE 2-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. 2013 17 2222 50 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 18 1072 65 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PRELIMINARY EFFECTS OF HATHA YOGA ON OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD). METHODS: THE STUDY HAS A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN WITH TWO ARMS: AN IMMEDIATE TREATMENT GROUP AND A WAIT-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA-FOR-PD PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED VIA TWICE WEEKLY 60-MIN GROUP-BASED CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED OXIDATIVE STRESS, MOTOR FUNCTION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SLEEP QUALITY, AND QUALITY OF LIFE. DATA ON PROGRAM ACCEPTABILITY AND YOGA ADHERENCE WERE COLLECTED DURING THE INTERVENTION AND AT 6 MONTHS POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 20) HAD A MEAN AGE OF 63 YEARS (SD 8, RANGE 49-75) AND DISEASE DURATION 4.8 YEARS (SD 2.9, RANGE 1-13). ALL PARTICIPANTS HAD MILD-MODERATE DISEASE SEVERITY; 18 (90%) WERE ON DOPAMINERGIC MEDICATIONS. SEVENTEEN PARTICIPANTS (85%) ATTENDED AT LEAST 75% OF THE CLASSES AND 4 (20%) ATTENDED ALL CLASSES. MOST PARTICIPANTS (N = 17) REPORTED THEY "DEFINITELY ENJOYED" THE INTERVENTION PROGRAM. NO ADVERSE EVENTS WERE REPORTED. AT 12 WEEKS, THERE WERE NO MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN BLOOD OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS. MOTOR FUNCTION BASED ON THE UNIFIED PARKINSON'S DISEASE RATING SCALE WAS BETTER IN THE TREATMENT GROUP, BUT THEIR SCORES ON SLEEP AND OUTLOOK IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE QUALITY OF LIFE (PDQUALIF) SCALE AND THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS BASED ON THE LONGITUDINAL AGING STUDY AMSTERDAM PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE WERE WORSE THAN THOSE OF THE CONTROL GROUP. IN WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS, MOTOR FUNCTION, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, AND CATALASE IMPROVED BUT THREE PDQUALIF DOMAINS (SOCIAL AND ROLE FUNCTION, SLEEP, AND OUTLOOK) AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL WORSENED BY THE END OF THE YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM COMPARED TO BASELINE. THE RESPONSE RATE FOR THE 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP SURVEY WAS 74% (N = 14) WITH SIX PARTICIPANTS (43%) WHO SIGNED UP FOR A YOGA CLASS AND FOUR (29%) WHO PRACTICED IT INDEPENDENTLY. HEALTH PROBLEMS WERE THE MAIN BARRIER TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSION: YOGA IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE AND MAY SERVE AS A COMPLEMENTARY METHOD FOR IMPROVING MOTOR FUNCTION IN PD. FURTHER RESEARCH USING A LARGER SAMPLE SIZE IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE ITS IMPACT ON OXIDATIVE STRESS AND NON-MOTOR SYMPTOMS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02509610031. 2018 19 1243 50 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 20 2681 51 YOGA IN SEDENTARY ADULTS WITH ARTHRITIS: EFFECTS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PRAGMATIC TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF INTEGRAL-BASED HATHA YOGA IN SEDENTARY PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS. METHODS: THERE WERE 75 SEDENTARY ADULTS AGED 18+ YEARS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) OR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO 8 WEEKS OF YOGA (TWO 60-MIN CLASSES AND 1 HOME PRACTICE/WK) OR WAITLIST. POSES WERE MODIFIED FOR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. THE PRIMARY ENDPOINT WAS PHYSICAL HEALTH [MEDICAL OUTCOMES STUDY SHORT FORM-36 (SF-36) PHYSICAL COMPONENT SUMMARY (PCS)] ADJUSTED FOR BASELINE; EXPLORATORY ADJUSTED OUTCOMES INCLUDED FITNESS, MOOD, STRESS, SELF-EFFICACY, SF-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQOL), AND RA DISEASE ACTIVITY. IN EVERYONE COMPLETING YOGA, WE EXPLORED LONGTERM EFFECTS AT 9 MONTHS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE MOSTLY FEMALE (96%), WHITE (55%), AND COLLEGE-EDUCATED (51%), WITH A MEAN (SD) AGE OF 52 YEARS (12 YRS). AVERAGE DISEASE DURATION WAS 9 YEARS AND 49% HAD RA. AT 8 WEEKS, YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PCS (6.5, 95% CI 2.0-10.7), WALKING CAPACITY (125 M, 95% CI 15-235), POSITIVE AFFECT (5.2, 95% CI 1.4-8.9), AND LOWER CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES DEPRESSION SCALE (-3.0, 95% CI -4.8 - -1.3). SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.05) WERE EVIDENT IN SF-36 ROLE PHYSICAL, PAIN, GENERAL HEALTH, VITALITY, AND MENTAL HEALTH SCALES. BALANCE, GRIP STRENGTH, AND FLEXIBILITY WERE SIMILAR BETWEEN GROUPS. TWENTY-TWO OUT OF 28 IN THE WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED YOGA. AMONG ALL YOGA PARTICIPANTS, SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.05) IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED IN MEAN PCS, FLEXIBILITY, 6-MIN WALK, AND ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MOST HRQOL DOMAINS AT 8 WEEKS WITH MOST STILL EVIDENT 9 MONTHS LATER. OF 7 ADVERSE EVENTS, NONE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS YOGA MAY HELP SEDENTARY INDIVIDUALS WITH ARTHRITIS SAFELY INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND HRQOL. CLINICAL TRIALS NCT00349869. 2015