1 2391 89 YOGA AND BODY IMAGE: FINDINGS FROM A LARGE POPULATION-BASED STUDY OF YOUNG ADULTS. THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL FOR YOGA TO PROMOTE BODY SATISFACTION IN A GENERAL POPULATION OF YOUNG ADULTS. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 1664 PARTICIPANTS (M AGE: 31.1, SD=1.6YEARS) IN PROJECT EAT, A 15-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY. DATA FROM THE THIRD AND FOURTH WAVES (EAT-III AND EAT-IV), COLLECTED FIVE YEARS APART, WERE UTILIZED. PRACTICING YOGA (>/=30MIN/WEEK) WAS REPORTED BY 16.2% OF YOUNG ADULTS. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR EAT-III BODY SATISFACTION AND BODY MASS INDEX, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD HIGHER CONCURRENT BODY SATISFACTION AT EAT-IV THAN THOSE NOT PRACTICING YOGA (DIFFERENCE: 1.5 UNITS [95% CI: 0.1-2.8], P=.03). AMONG PARTICIPANTS WITHIN THE LOWEST QUARTILE OF PRIOR (EAT-III) BODY SATISFACTION, THERE WAS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT BODY SATISFACTION AT EAT-IV WAS HIGHER AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS THAN IN OTHER YOUNG ADULTS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED BODY SATISFACTION, PARTICULARLY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS WITH LOW PRIOR BODY SATISFACTION. 2018 2 1340 36 HOW IS THE PRACTICE OF YOGA RELATED TO WEIGHT STATUS? POPULATION-BASED FINDINGS FROM PROJECT EAT-IV. BACKGROUND: YOGA MAY PROVIDE A STRATEGY FOR HEALTHY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IN YOUNG ADULTS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG ADULTS' YOGA PRACTICE AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH CHANGES IN BODY MASS INDEX. METHODS: SURVEYS WERE COMPLETED BY 1830 YOUNG ADULTS (31.1 +/- 1.6 Y) PARTICIPATING IN PROJECT EAT-IV. CROSS-SECTIONAL AND 5-YEAR LONGITUDINAL ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED STRATIFIED BY INITIAL WEIGHT STATUS. RESULTS: TWO-THIRDS (66.5%) OF NONOVERWEIGHT WOMEN AND 48.9% OF OVERWEIGHT WOMEN REPORTED EVER DOING YOGA, WHILE 27.2% OF NONOVERWEIGHT WOMEN AND 16.4% OF OVERWEIGHT WOMEN PRACTICED REGULARLY (>/=30 MIN/WK). FEWER MEN PRACTICED YOGA. AMONG YOUNG ADULTS PRACTICING REGULARLY (N = 294), DIFFERENCES WERE IDENTIFIED IN INTENSITY, TYPE, AND LOCATION OF YOGA PRACTICE ACROSS WEIGHT STATUS. YOUNG ADULTS WHO WERE OVERWEIGHT AND PRACTICED YOGA REGULARLY SHOWED A NONSIGNIFICANT 5-YEAR DECREASE IN THEIR BODY MASS INDEX (-0.60 KG/M(2); P = .49), WHEREAS THOSE NOT PRACTICING REGULARLY HAD SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN THEIR BODY MASS INDEX (+1.37 KG/M(2); P < .01). FREQUENCY OF YOGA WAS INVERSELY ASSOCIATED WITH WEIGHT GAIN AMONG BOTH OVERWEIGHT AND NONOVERWEIGHT YOUNG ADULTS PRACTICING YOGA REGULARLY. CONCLUSIONS: YOUNG ADULTS OF DIFFERENT BODY SIZES PRACTICE YOGA. YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LESS WEIGHT GAIN OVER TIME, PARTICULARLY IN OVERWEIGHT YOUNG ADULTS. PRACTICING YOGA ON A REGULAR BASIS MAY HELP WITH WEIGHT GAIN PREVENTION. 2017 3 1802 26 PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION USE - A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF US ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. INTRODUCTION: YOGA PRACTICE IN COMMON USAGE IS OFTEN CONFINED TO THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PRACTICE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE USE OF TWO ADDITIONAL ASPECTS OF YOGA AS PART OF YOGA PRACTICE, I.E. YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION (YOBAM). PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION WERE ANALYZED. METHOD: CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 AND 2017 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY (NHIS) (N = 61,267) WAS USED. 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE ANALYZED DESCRIPTIVELY FOR THE TWO COHORTS RESPECTIVELY. LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ANALYZE SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH-RELATED PREDICTORS OF YOBAM USE AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. RESULTS: 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND YOBAM USE WERE 8.9 % AND 4.8 % RESPECTIVELY IN 2012. IN 2017, 13.3 % HAD PRACTICED YOGA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS AND 7.0 % HAD USED YOBAM. YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED BETWEEN 50 AND 64 COMPARED TO BEING 29 OR YOUNGER, FEMALES, HISPANICS AND THOSE EXPERIENCING MILD TO SEVERE FORMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOBAM AS PART OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS LIVING IN THE MIDWEST OR IN A RELATIONSHIP WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOBAM. CONCLUSION: IN RECENT YEARS, THE NUMBER OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS IN THE US GENERAL POPULATION HAS CONSIDERABLY INCREASED AND YOBAM USE IS COMMON AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. YOBAM USE SEEMS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, REGION, MARITAL STATUS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS DIMENSIONS. 2021 4 1806 36 PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE AMONG ADULTS IN AN URBAN POPULATION IN EASTERN INDIA. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE. THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AS A PART OF A LARGER STUDY THAT INCLUDED YOGA AS A FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. DATA WERE COLLECTED DURING APRIL AND AUGUST 2019 FROM THE ADULT URBAN POPULATION OF BHUBANESWAR, INDIA. THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED USING A CLUSTER RANDOM SAMPLING METHOD. A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE (N = 1,203) OF ADULTS AGED 18-59 YEARS, IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER, WAS INTERVIEWED USING A QUESTIONNAIRE ADAPTED FROM THE 2012 U.S. NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY, WITH THE EPICOLLECT5 HANDHELD DATA-COLLECTION TOOL. PREDICTORS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE EXPLORED USING MULTIVARIABLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION. THE MEAN AGE OF THE PARTICIPANTS WAS 35.19 +/- 10.67 YEARS, WITH 55.3% MALES. THE MAJORITY WERE HINDU (93.62%) AND BELONGED TO THE UNRE S E RVED CATEGORY (65.60%), PEOPLE GENERALLY OF HIGHER RELATIVE SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE LIFETIME PREVALENCE OF YOGA WAS 16.9%. PREVALENCE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA (YOGA, PRANAYAMA, OR MEDITATION), ALL FORMS OF YOGA (YOGA, PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION), PRANAYAMA, AND MEDITATION WAS 17.0%, 10.7%, 14.3%, AND 11.4%, RESPECTIVELY. AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS, FEMALE GENDER, HINDU RELIGION, MINIMUM OF HIGHER-SECONDARY OR GRADUATE-LEVEL EDUCATION, AND HAVING RECEIVED ADVICE FROM PROFESSIONALS FOR YOGA PRACTICE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ODDS OF PRACTICING YOGA, AND THOSE OF HIGHER SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER ODDS OF PRACTICING YOGA. WE FOUND A LOW PREVALENCE OF YOGA. SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS LIKE GENDER, RELIGION, EDUCATION, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, AND OTHER FACTORS LIKE LEARNING YOGA FROM PROFESSIONALS MAY BE IMPORTANT PREDICTORS OF CONTINUED YOGA PRACTICE. 2021 5 2838 36 YOGA'S POTENTIAL FOR PROMOTING HEALTHY EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS AMONG YOUNG ADULTS: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY. BACKGROUND: A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE MAY HAVE BENEFITS FOR YOUNG ADULT HEALTH, HOWEVER, THERE IS LIMITED EVIDENCE AVAILABLE TO GUIDE YOGA INTERVENTIONS TARGETING WEIGHT-RELATED HEALTH. THE PRESENT STUDY EXPLORED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTICIPATION IN YOGA, HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. METHODS: THE PRESENT MIXED-METHODS STUDY USED DATA COLLECTED AS PART OF WAVE 4 OF PROJECT EAT (EATING AND ACTIVITY IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS), A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY IN MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. YOUNG ADULTS (N = 1820) COMPLETED THE PROJECT EAT SURVEY AND A FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A SUBSET WHO REPORTED PRACTICING YOGA ADDITIONALLY PARTICIPATED IN SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS (N = 46). ANALYSES OF SURVEY DATA WERE USED TO EXAMINE CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THE FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE, DIETARY BEHAVIORS (SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES (FV), SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES (SSBS) AND SNACK FOODS AND FREQUENCY OF FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION), AND MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (MVPA). THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEW DISCUSSIONS FURTHER EXPLORED YOGA'S PERCEIVED INFLUENCE ON EATING AND ACTIVITY BEHAVIORS AMONG INTERVIEW PARTICIPANTS. RESULTS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE SERVINGS OF FV, FEWER SERVINGS OF SSBS AND SNACK FOODS, LESS FREQUENT FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION, AND MORE HOURS OF MVPA. INTERVIEWS REVEALED THAT YOGA SUPPORTED HEALTHY EATING THROUGH MOTIVATION TO EAT HEALTHFULLY, GREATER MINDFULNESS, MANAGEMENT OF EMOTIONAL EATING, MORE HEALTHY FOOD CRAVINGS, AND THE INFLUENCE OF THE YOGA COMMUNITY. YOGA SUPPORTED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THROUGH ACTIVITY AS PART OF YOGA PRACTICE, MOTIVATION TO DO OTHER FORMS OF ACTIVITY, INCREASED CAPACITY TO BE ACTIVE, AND BY COMPLEMENTING AN ACTIVE LIFESTYLE. CONCLUSIONS: YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS REPORTED HEALTHIER EATING BEHAVIORS AND HIGHER LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN NON-PRACTITIONERS. YOGA SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS AN INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG ADULT HEALTH PROMOTION AND HEALTHY WEIGHT MANAGEMENT. 2018 6 2890 22 YOGA: POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR PERSONS WHO STUTTER. YOGA HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO MODULATE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ACTIVITY, DECREASING ANXIETY AND STRESS, AND IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE. THIS PRELIMINARY STUDY SOUGHT TO EXAMINE THE USE OF YOGIC TECHNIQUES ON PERSONS WHO STUTTER GIVEN THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL/ANXIETY AND STUTTERING THAT CURRENT MULTIFACTORIAL MODELS OF STUTTERING PROPOSE. FOUR PARTICIPANTS (M = 52 YR, SD = 10; 2 FEMALE, 2 MALE), RECRUITED FROM LOCAL STUTTERING SUPPORT GROUPS IN THE GREATER PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERED TO PARTICIPATE. STUTTERING SEVERITY, ANXIETY, AND EXPERIENCES REGARDING STUTTERING AND COMMUNICATION WERE MEASURED AT BASELINE, POST INTERVENTION, AND AT 4 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP. THE PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED GROUP YOGA SESSIONS AND ENGAGED IN HOME PRACTICE. DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS SHOWED IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS OUTCOME MEASURES, WITH THE MOST IMPROVEMENT RELATED TO ANXIETY. PARTICIPANTS ALSO REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR PERCEPTIONS ABOUT COMMUNICATION AS PER QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES TO THE OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONNAIRES. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR PERSONS WHO STUTTER AND WARRANTS FURTHER STUDY USING AN EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN. 2016 7 2748 29 YOGA PRACTICE IN ENGLAND 1997-2008: PREVALENCE, TEMPORAL TRENDS, AND CORRELATES OF PARTICIPATION. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A HOLISTIC PRACTICE THAT MAY OFFER SEVERAL HEALTH BENEFITS. NO STUDY HAS EXAMINED THE PREVALENCE, TEMPORAL TRENDS, OR CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE AT THE POPULATION LEVEL IN A EUROPEAN COUNTRY AND VERY FEW SUCH STUDIES EXIST WORLDWIDE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY IS TO EXAMINE THE PREVALENCE, TRENDS AND CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE IN ENGLAND BETWEEN 1997 AND 2008. FINDINGS: ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED IN EARLY 2013 USING HEALTH SURVEY FOR ENGLAND DATA. INDEPENDENT COHORTS, REPRESENTATIVE OF ADULTS LIVING IN ENGLAND, WERE SURVEYED IN ANNUAL CYCLES IN 1997-1999, 2003-2004, AND 2006/2008. PREVALENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE (DEFINED AS ANY PRACTICE IN THE PAST FOUR WEEKS) WAS DETERMINED AT EACH TIME POINT AND MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO EXAMINE TEMPORAL TRENDS (USING 1997-1999 AS REFERENCE TIME POINT) AND THE CORRELATES OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS 0.46% (95% CI: 0.39%-0.52%) IN 1997-1999, 0.94% (0.83%-1.06%) IN 2003-2004, AND 1.11% (0.95%-1.28%) IN 2006/2008. YOGA PARTICIPANTS IN ENGLAND WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE OLDER, FEMALE, DEGREE EDUCATED, OF NON-MANUAL SOCIAL CLASS, LOWER BMI, BETTER SELF-RATED GENERAL HEALTH, INACTIVE OCCUPATION, AND HIGHER MODERATE-TO-VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ADJUSTED FOR AGE, SEX, SOCIAL CLASS, AND LONG STANDING ILLNESSES, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASING TREND OF YOGA PRACTICE FROM 1997 TO 2008 (2003/04 OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.59-2.34; 2006/08 OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.77-2.71). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE HAS INCREASED IN POPULARITY, THOUGH THE ABSOLUTE RATES ARE STILL RELATIVELY LOW. FUTURE POPULATION STUDIES SHOULD MORE COMPREHENSIVELY EXAMINE THE CONTEXTS, SETTINGS, STYLES, CORRELATES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE. 2014 8 1246 29 FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATION OF YOGA IN A BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS INTERVENTION: A RANDOMIZED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY AND COMPARISON OF TWO STYLES OF YOGA WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A STANDARD BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS INTERVENTION (SBWI). METHODS: FIFTY ADULTS WITH OBESITY (BMI: 31.3 +/- 3.8 KG/M(2) ) PARTICIPATED IN THIS 6-MONTH STUDY THAT INCLUDED A SBWI AND A CALORIE- AND FAT-REDUCED DIET. RANDOMIZATION WAS TO RESTORATIVE HATHA (SBWI+RES) OR VINYASA (SBWI+VIN) YOGA. YOGA WAS PRESCRIBED TO INCREASE FROM 20 TO 40 TO 60 MINUTES PER SESSION ACROSS THE INTERVENTION. WEIGHT WAS ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 6 MONTHS. PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA WERE ASSESSED AT THE COMPLETION OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: ADJUSTED WEIGHT LOSS WAS -3.4 KG (95% CI: -6.4 TO -0.5) IN SBWI+RES AND -3.8 KG (95% CI: -6.8 TO -0.9) IN SBWI+VIN (P < 0.001), WITH NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. OF ALL PARTICIPANTS, 74.4% REPORTED THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE PARTICIPATION IN YOGA AFTER THE SBWI. SESSION DURATION WAS A BARRIER AS YOGA INCREASED FROM 20 TO 40 TO 60 MINUTES PER DAY, WITH 0%, 7.5%, AND 48.8% REPORTING THIS BARRIER, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG ADULTS WITH OBESITY, YOGA PARTICIPATION, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF A SBWI, APPEARS TO BE FEASIBLE, WITH WEIGHT LOSS NOT DIFFERING BY STYLE OF YOGA. PROGRESSING TO 60 MINUTES PER SESSION APPEARS TO BE A BARRIER TO ENGAGEMENT IN YOGA IN THIS POPULATION. 2021 9 918 24 EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION. BACKGROUND THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAM COMBINING CHAKRAYOGA AND MEDITATION ON THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS OF PEOPLE. METHODS NINETY-SEVEN SUBJECTS (32-83 YEARS OLD) WHO HAD FREE FROM PRIOR EXPERIENCES IN MEDITATION PROGRAMS OR CHAKRAYOGA TRAINING COURSES WERE ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (EXP) (45 SUBJECTS; 13 MALE SUBJECTS AND 32 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 60.67 YEARS, SD=11.09 YEARS) OR THE CONTROL GROUP (CONT) OF REMAINING SUBJECTS (52 SUBJECTS; 14 MALE SUBJECTS AND 38 FEMALE SUBJECTS; AVERAGE AGE OF 61.58 YEARS, SD=9.70 YEARS). SUBJECTS IN THE EXP PARTICIPATED IN THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM FOR TWICE A WEEK FOR 2 H DURING 6 WEEKS IN EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 1 H OF CHAKRAYOGA AND 1 H OF MEDITATION. THE MEASUREMENTS IN THIS STUDY INCLUDED THE MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE, MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, DIFFICULTY IN EMOTIONAL REGULATION AND OBJECTIVE OF LIFE AND SENSE OF CONTROL. RESULTS RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE EXP REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE RELIEF OF MINDFULNESS, STRESS RESPONSE, SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND MEDICAL SYMPTOM CHECKLIST THAN THOSE IN THE CONT. CONCLUSIONS THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT THE CHAKRAYOGA MEDITATION PROGRAM CAN HELP RELIEVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND DISEASE-RELATED FACTORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. 2019 10 1807 27 PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE: RESULTS OF A U.S. NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY. INTRODUCTION: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE PREVALENCE, PATTERNS, AND PREDICTORS OF YOGA USE IN THE U.S. GENERAL POPULATION. METHODS: USING CROSS-SECTIONAL DATA FROM THE 2012 NATIONAL HEALTH INTERVIEW SURVEY FAMILY CORE, SAMPLE ADULT CORE, AND ADULT COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE QUESTIONNAIRES (N=34,525), WEIGHTED FREQUENCIES FOR LIFETIME AND 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE AND PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE WERE ANALYZED. USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES, SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC PREDICTORS OF LIFETIME YOGA USE WERE ANALYZED. ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED IN 2015. RESULTS: LIFETIME AND 12-MONTH PREVALENCE OF YOGA USE WERE 13.2% AND 8.9%, RESPECTIVELY. COMPARED WITH NONPRACTITIONERS, LIFETIME YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MORE LIKELY FEMALE, YOUNGER, NON-HISPANIC WHITE, COLLEGE EDUCATED, HIGHER EARNERS, LIVING IN THE WEST, AND OF BETTER HEALTH STATUS. AMONG THOSE WHO HAD PRACTICED IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, 51.2% ATTENDED YOGA CLASSES, 89.9% USED BREATHING EXERCISES, AND 54.9% USED MEDITATION. YOGA WAS PRACTICED FOR GENERAL WELLNESS OR DISEASE PREVENTION (78.4%), TO IMPROVE ENERGY (66.1%), OR TO IMPROVE IMMUNE FUNCTION (49.7%). BACK PAIN (19.7%), STRESS (6.4%), AND ARTHRITIS (6.4%) WERE THE MAIN SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR WHICH PEOPLE PRACTICED YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: ABOUT 31 MILLION U.S. ADULTS HAVE EVER USED YOGA, AND ABOUT 21 MILLION PRACTICED YOGA IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. DISEASE PREVENTION AND BACK PAIN RELIEF WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT HEALTH REASONS FOR YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH AGE, GENDER, ETHNICITY, SES, AND HEALTH STATUS. 2016 11 579 24 DESIGNING A YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM TO IMPROVE WELL-BEING FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED. WELL-BEING ACTIVITIES MAY HELP TO COUNTERACT PHYSICIAN BURNOUT. YOGA IS KNOWN TO ENHANCE WELL-BEING, BUT THERE ARE FEW STUDIES OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIANS IN TRAINING. THIS PROSPECTIVE METHODOLOGY-DEVELOPMENT STUDY AIMED TO EXPLORE HOW TO ESTABLISH A YOGA-BASED WELL-BEING INTERVENTION FOR PHYSICIAN TRAINEES IN A LARGE URBAN TRAINING HOSPITAL. WE AIMED TO IDENTIFY FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO TRAINEE PARTICIPATION AND EXPLORE AN INSTRUMENT TO MEASURE CHANGES IN SELF-REPORTED WELL-BEING AFTER YOGA. COHORTS INCLUDED A REQUIRED-ATTENDANCE GROUP, A VOLUNTARY-ATTENDANCE GROUP, AND AN UNASSIGNED WALK-IN YOGA GROUP. WEEKLY 1-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS WERE LED BY A QUALIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTOR FOR 4 WEEKS. THE SEVEN-QUESTION RESIDENT PHYSICIAN WELL-BEING INDEX (RPWBI) WAS USED TO MEASURE RESIDENT WELL-BEING BEFORE YOGA, AFTER 4 WEEKS OF YOGA, AND 6 MONTHS POST-YOGA. TRAINEES ATTENDING EACH SESSION RANGED FROM 17 FOR REQUIRED YOGA TO 0-2 FOR VOLUNTARY YOGA, 2-9 FOR LUNCHTIME WALK-IN YOGA, AND 1-7 FOR EVENING WALK-IN YOGA. IN THE REQUIRED-YOGA GROUP (N = 17), OVERALL RPWBI MEAN SCORES DID NOT CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY ACROSS THE THREE QUERY TIMES, AND PARTICIPATION IN THE SURVEY DECLINED OVER TIME. THE MEAN BASELINE RPWBI SCORE FOR THE REQUIRED GROUP BEFORE YOGA WAS IN THE NON-DISTRESSED RANGE AND ANSWERS TO THE SEVEN INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS VARIED. REQUIRING A YOGA ACTIVITY FOR MEDICAL TRAINEES MAY BE A GOOD STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING PARTICIPATION IN YOGA. THE RPWBI MAY HAVE LIMITED UTILITY FOR MEASURING CHANGES IN OVERALL GROUP WELL-BEING AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION. 2021 12 1629 23 MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: WE EXPLORED THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF MINDFULNESS-BASED YOGA (MBY) FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION BY EXAMINING OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL OUTCOMES. METHOD: IN THIS CASE SERIES DESIGN STUDY, 6 YOUTHS AGES 13-17 YR WITH CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS FOR >4 WK PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WK MBY INTERVENTION, 1X/WK FOR 45 MIN. PARTICIPATION, SELF-EFFICACY, AND HEART RATE VARIABILITY (24 HR) WERE COLLECTED BEFORE, AFTER, AND 3 MO AFTER THE INTERVENTION. HEART RATE VARIABILITY WAS ALSO MEASURED DURING EACH SESSION. RESULTS: TRENDS OF INCREASED SELF-EFFICACY IN ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL DOMAINS WERE FOUND AFTER MBY AND MAINTAINED AT 3-MO FOLLOW-UP. TRENDS OF INCREASING HEART RATE VARIABILITY WERE ALSO FOUND PRE- TO POSTINTERVENTION AND WITHIN THE EIGHT MBY SESSIONS. CONCLUSION: PRELIMINARY RESULTS REVEAL POSITIVE TRENDS AFTER A NOVEL, SAFE INTERVENTION FOR YOUTH WITH PERSISTENT CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS AND THE VALUE OF EXPLORING BOTH OCCUPATION-BASED AND NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES. FUTURE RESEARCH WITH A LARGER SAMPLE AND CONTROL GROUP IS WARRANTED. 2019 13 2751 31 YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENUATED WEIGHT GAIN IN HEALTHY, MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND WOMEN. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS PROMOTED OR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE, BUT THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE OF ITS EFFICACY. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER MEAN 10-YEAR WEIGHT GAIN AFTER AGE 45. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS INCLUDED 15,550 ADULTS, AGED 53 TO 57 YEARS, RECRUITED TO THE VITAMIN AND LIFESTYLE (VITAL) COHORT STUDY BETWEEN 2000 AND 2002. MEASUREMENTS: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (INCLUDING YOGA) DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS, DIET, HEIGHT, AND WEIGHT AT RECRUITMENT AND AT AGES 30 AND 45. ALL MEASURES WERE BASED ON SELF-REPORTING, AND PAST WEIGHT WAS RETROSPECTIVELY ASCERTAINED. METHODS: MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO EXAMINED COVARIATE-ADJUSTED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND WEIGHT CHANGE FROM AGE 45 TO RECRUITMENT, AND POLYCHOTOMOUS LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS OF YOGA PRACTICE WITH THE RELATIVE ODDS OF WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (WITHIN 5%) AND WEIGHT LOSS (> 5%) COMPARED TO WEIGHT GAIN. RESULTS: YOGA PRACTICE FOR FOUR OR MORE YEARS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A 3.1-LB LOWER WEIGHT GAIN AMONG NORMAL WEIGHT (BMI < 25) PARTICIPANTS [9.5 LBS VERSUS 12.6 IBS] AND AN 18.5-LB LOWER WEIGHT GAIN AMONG OVERWEIGHT PARTICIPANTS [-5.0 LBS VERSUS 13.5 IBS] (BOTH P FOR TREND <.001). AMONG OVERWEIGHT INDIVIDUALS, 4+ YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A RELATIVE ODDS OF 1.85 (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] 0.63-5.42) FOR WEIGHT MAINTENANCE (WITHIN 5%) AND 3.88 (95% CL 1.30-9.88) FOR WEIGHT LOSS (> 5%) COMPARED TO WEIGHT GAIN (P FOR TREND .026 AND .003, RESPECTIVELY). CONCLUSIONS: REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENUATED WEIGHT GAIN, MOST STRONGLY AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE OVERWEIGHT. ALTHOUGH CAUSAL INFERENCE FROM THIS OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IS NOT POSSIBLE, RESULTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE HYPOTHESIS THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WHO WISH TO MAINTAIN OR LOSE WEIGHT. 2005 14 1539 25 KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE OF YOGA IN MEDICAL STUDENTS: ASSESSMENT OF ANTHROPOMETRY AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. MEDICAL STUDENTS OFTEN EXPERIENCE SIGNIFICANT STRESS DURING THEIR UNDERGRADUATE TRAINING. EVIDENCE HAS SHOWN SHORT-TERM YOGA TO BE EFFECTIVE IN DECREASING STRESS IN STUDENTS. THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS KNOWLEDGE ABOUT, ATTITUDE TOWARD, AND PRACTICE OF (KAP) YOGA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS. A SECONDARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO ANALYZE THEIR DIETARY HABITS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. PARTICIPANTS CONSISTED OF 224 MEDICAL STUDENTS AGED 18-23 YEARS IN PRE- AND PARACLINICAL GROUPS. A CLOSED-ENDED KAP QUESTIONNAIRE WAS USED TO COLLECT DATA. ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS WERE TAKEN. RESULTS SHOWED THAT PARACLINICAL STUDENTS (70.5%) FAVORABLY PERCEIVED THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF YOGA. NEARLY THREE-FOURTHS OF STUDY SUBJECTS HAD PREVIOUSLY PRACTICED YOGA; GREATER NUMBERS INTENDED TO PRACTICE YOGA IN THE FUTURE. ABOUT 95.5% OF THE PRECLINICAL STUDENTS WHO HAD DONE YOGA HAD DISCONTINUED THE PRACTICE. PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO THE PRACTICE OF YOGA WERE LACK OF TIME, INSUFFICIENT FACILITIES, LACK OF COMPANY, AND LACK OF INTEREST. CONSIDERATION OF THE UNDERGRADUATES' LIFESTYLE REVEALED THAT 50.4% OF PRECLINICAL STUDENTS DID NOT EXERCISE, AND THEY ROUTINELY CONSUMED MORE JUNK FOOD WITH FEWER SERVINGS OF FRESH FRUITS/SALADS. PRECLINICAL STUDENTS EXHIBITED HIGHER BMI AND WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE COMPARED TO PARACLINICAL STUDENTS. FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDE REGARDING YOGA WERE GOOD AMONG MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES. 2018 15 2175 22 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONALITY APPRECIATION AND ADDITIONAL FACETS OF POSITIVE BODY IMAGE. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON FUNCTIONALITY APPRECIATION, AND THE POTENTIAL MECHANISMS THAT COULD EXPLAIN THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON ADDITIONAL FACETS OF POSITIVE BODY IMAGE. YOUNG ADULT WOMEN (N=114; MAGE=22.19) WERE RANDOMISED TO A 10-WEEK HATHA YOGA PROGRAMME OR WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF FUNCTIONALITY APPRECIATION, BODY APPRECIATION, BODY COMPASSION, APPEARANCE EVALUATION, SELF-OBJECTIFICATION, AND EMBODIMENT AT PRETEST, MIDTEST, POSTTEST, AND 1-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. FOLLOW-UP DATA COULD NOT BE ANALYSED DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF ATTRITION. THE REMAINING DATA SHOWED THAT, COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP, WOMEN IN THE YOGA PROGRAMME EXPERIENCED LOWER SELF-OBJECTIFICATION AT MIDTEST AND GREATER EMBODIMENT OVER TIME. FURTHER, ALL PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY APPRECIATION, BODY COMPASSION, AND APPEARANCE EVALUATION OVER TIME, REGARDLESS OF THEIR ASSIGNED GROUP. LOWER SELF-OBJECTIFICATION CONTRIBUTED TO IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY APPRECIATION AND BODY COMPASSION. IN ADDITION, GREATER EMBODIMENT CONTRIBUTED TO IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY APPRECIATION, BODY COMPASSION, AND APPEARANCE EVALUATION. CONTRARY TO OUR EXPECTATIONS, YOGA DID NOT LEAD TO INCREASED FUNCTIONALITY APPRECIATION, NOR WAS FUNCTIONALITY APPRECIATION A MEDIATOR OF THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON POSITIVE BODY IMAGE. INSTEAD, LOWER SELF-OBJECTIFICATION, AND GREATER EMBODIMENT, DROVE IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE BODY IMAGE. 2020 16 2341 30 USE OF YOGA IN OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER TREATMENT: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: INDIVIDUALS WITH RESTRICTIVE EATING DISORDERS PRESENT WITH CO-MORBID PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND MANY ATTEMPT TO CONTROL SYMPTOMS USING STRENUOUS EXERCISES THAT INCREASE CALORIC EXPENDITURE. YOGA OFFERS A SAFE AVENUE FOR THE ENGAGEMENT IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WHILE PROVIDING AN OUTLET FOR DISEASE-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EXAMINE USE OF YOGA PRACTICE IN AN OUTPATIENT SETTING AND ITS IMPACT ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE IN ADOLESCENTS WITH EATING DISORDERS. METHODS: TWENTY ADOLESCENT GIRLS WERE RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN EATING DISORDERS CLINIC WHO PARTICIPATED IN WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES AT A LOCAL STUDIO, IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE. YOGA INSTRUCTORS UNDERWENT TRAINING REGARDING THIS PATIENT POPULATION. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES FOCUSED ON ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE PRIOR TO THE FIRST CLASS, AND FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF 6 AND 12 CLASSES. RESULTS: IN PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED THE STUDY, A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE WAS SEEN, INCLUDING: SPIELBERGER STATE ANXIETY MEAN SCORES DECREASED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF 7-12 YOGA CLASSES [47 (95%CI 42-52) TO 42 (95%CI 37-47), ADJ. P = 0.0316]; AS DID THE ANOREXIA NERVOSA SCALE [10 (95% CI 7-12) VS. 6 (95%CI 4-8), ADJ. P = .0004], SCORES ON BECK DEPRESSION SCALES [18 (95%CI 15-22) TO 10 (95%CI 6-14), ADJ. P = .0001], AND WEIGHT AND SHAPE CONCERN SCORES [16 (95%CI 12-20) TO 12 (95%CI 8-16), ADJ. P =0.0120] AND [31 (95%CI 25-37) TO 20 (95%CI 13-27), ADJ. P = 0.0034], RESPECTIVELY. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN BODY MASS INDEX WERE SEEN THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE COMBINED WITH OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER TREATMENT WERE SHOWN TO DECREASE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND BODY IMAGE DISTURBANCE WITHOUT NEGATIVELY IMPACTING WEIGHT. THESE PRELIMINARY RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA TO BE A PROMISING ADJUNCT TREATMENT STRATEGY, ALONG WITH STANDARD MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA SHOULD BE ENDORSED AS A STANDARD COMPONENT OF OUTPATIENT EATING DISORDER TREATMENT MERITS FURTHER STUDY. 2016 17 2434 36 YOGA AND PILATES: ASSOCIATIONS WITH BODY IMAGE AND DISORDERED-EATING BEHAVIORS IN A POPULATION-BASED SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULTS. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PARTICIPATING IN MIND-BODY ACTIVITIES (YOGA/PILATES) AND BODY DISSATISFACTION AND DISORDERED EATING (UNHEALTHY AND EXTREME WEIGHT CONTROL PRACTICES AND BINGE EATING) IN A POPULATION-BASED SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULTS. METHOD: THE SAMPLE INCLUDED 1,030 YOUNG MEN AND 1,257 YOUNG WOMEN (MEAN AGE: 25.3 YEARS, SD = 1.7) WHO PARTICIPATED IN PROJECT EAT-III (EATING AND ACTIVITY IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS). RESULTS: AMONG WOMEN, DISORDERED EATING WAS PREVALENT IN YOGA/PILATES PARTICIPANTS AND NONPARTICIPANTS, WITH NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS. MEN PARTICIPATING IN YOGA/PILATES WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE EXTREME WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIORS (18.6% VS. 6.8%, P = .006) AND BINGE EATING (11.6% VS. 4.2%, P = .023), AND MARGINALLY MORE LIKELY TO USE UNHEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIORS (49.1% VS. 34.5%; P = .053), THAN NONPARTICIPANTS AFTER ADJUSTING FOR SOCIODEMOGRAPHICS, WEIGHT STATUS, AND OVERALL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. DISCUSSION: FINDINGS SUGGEST THE IMPORTANCE OF HELPING YOGA/PILATES INSTRUCTORS RECOGNIZE THAT THEIR STUDENTS MAY BE AT RISK FOR DISORDERED EATING. 2011 18 2263 28 THE PREVALENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUNG AND MID-AGE WOMEN WHO USE YOGA AND MEDITATION: RESULTS OF A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY OF 19,209 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION USERS AND NON-USERS AMONGST YOUNG AND MID-AGED AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. DESIGN AND SETTING: THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED AS PART OF THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH (ALSWH) WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE MULTIPLE FACTORS AFFECTING THE HEALTH AND WELL BEING OF WOMEN OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD. PARTICIPANTS: THE YOUNGER (28-33 YEARS) (N=8885) AND MID-AGED (56-61 YEARS) (N=10,324) COHORTS OF THE ALSWH WHO COMPLETED SURVEY 5 IN 2006 AND 2007 RESPECTIVELY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: USE OF YOGA. RESULTS: THIS STUDY ESTIMATES THAT 35% OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AGED 28-33 AND 27% OF AUSTRALIAN WOMEN AGED 56-61 USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. YOUNGER WOMEN WITH BACK PAIN (OR=1.28; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.52) AND ALLERGIES (OR=1.25; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.49) WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION, WHILE YOUNGER WOMEN WITH MIGRAINES OR HEADACHES (OR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.87) WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. MID-AGE WOMEN WITH LOW IRON (OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.29, 2.19) AND BOWEL PROBLEMS (OR=1.37; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.65) WERE MORE LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION, WHILE MID AGE WOMEN WITH HYPERTENSION (OR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.76) WERE LESS LIKELY TO USE YOGA OR MEDITATION. CONCLUSION: A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE POPULATION ARE USING YOGA OR MEDITATION. GIVEN THAT WOMEN WHO REGULARLY USE YOGA OR MEDITATION POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH MEASURES OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH TO EXAMINE THE EXPERIENCES AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THESE MIND-BODY PRACTICES FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH. 2011 19 363 27 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN YOGA/MEDITATION USE, BODY SATISFACTION, AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT METHODS: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF 8009 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. OBJECTIVES: TO ANALYZE WHETHER YOGA OR MEDITATION USE IS ASSOCIATED WITH BODY (DIS)SATISFACTION AND WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS IN AUSTRALIAN WOMEN. METHODS: WOMEN AGES 34 TO 39 Y FROM THE AUSTRALIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON WOMEN'S HEALTH WERE SURVEYED REGARDING BODY SATISFACTION, WEIGHT CONTROL BEHAVIORS, AND YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICE. ASSOCIATIONS OF BODY SATISFACTION AND WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS WITH YOGA/MEDITATION PRACTICE WERE ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARED TESTS AND MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELLING. RESULTS: OF THE 8009 WOMEN, 49% WERE OVERWEIGHT OR OBESE. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT OF WOMEN WITH NORMAL BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND APPROXIMATELY 95% OF WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY WANTED TO LOSE WEIGHT. AT LEAST ONE IN FOUR WOMEN WITH NORMAL BMI WAS DISSATISFIED WITH BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE, AS WERE MORE THAN TWO IN THREE WOMEN WITH OVERWEIGHT/OBESITY. THE MOST COMMON WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS INCLUDED EXERCISING (82.7%), CUTTING DOWN MEAL SIZES (76.8%), AND CUTTING DOWN SUGARS OR FATS (71.9%). YOGA/MEDITATION WAS PRACTICED FREQUENTLY BY 688 WOMEN (8.6%) AND OCCASIONALLY BY 1176 WOMEN (14.7%). YOGA/MEDITATION USERS WITH NORMAL BMI WERE LESS LIKELY DISSATISFIED WITH BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE. ALL YOGA/MEDITATION USERS MORE LIKELY EXERCISED AND FOLLOWED A LOW GLYCEMIC DIET OR DIET BOOKS; AND WOMEN WITH OBESITY OCCASIONALLY USING YOGA/MEDITATION ALSO MORE LIKELY USED FASTING OR SMOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT. CONCLUSION: YOGA/MEDITATION USERS WITH NORMAL BMI APPEAR TO BE MORE SATISFIED WITH THEIR BODY WEIGHT AND SHAPE THAN NON-YOGA/MEDITATION USERS. WHILE WOMEN WITH NORMAL BMI OR OVERWEIGHT TEND TO RELY ON HEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS, WOMEN WITH OBESITY OCCASIONAL USING YOGA/MEDITATION MAY MORE LIKELY UTILIZE UNHEALTHY WEIGHT CONTROL METHODS. 2017 20 2167 21 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN HELPING CANCER PATIENTS AND CAREGIVERS MANAGE THE STRESS OF A NATURAL DISASTER: A BRIEF REPORT ON HURRICANE HARVEY. BACKGROUND: THIS SMALL QUALITATIVE STUDY REPORTS ON THE EXPERIENCES OF PATIENTS AND FAMILY CAREGIVERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A DYADIC YOGA PILOT TRIAL WHILE UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT IN THE MIDST OF HURRICANE HARVEY. OUR PRIMARY PURPOSE WAS TO DETERMINE IF PARTICIPANTS IMPLEMENTED COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM TO COPE WITH THE STRESSORS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE HARVEY AND IF THEY PERCEIVED BENEFITS FROM THE YOGA PRACTICES. METHODS: WE ADMINISTERED BRIEF SEMISTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS TO THE DYADS PARTICIPATING IN A DYADIC YOGA PILOT TRIAL. PARTICIPANTS (N = 5 DYADS) WERE ASKED TO DISCUSS THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH HURRICANE HARVEY, INCLUDING FACTORS THAT HELPED THEM COPE WITH THE EVENT WHILE RECEIVING TREATMENT. RESULT: PATIENTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 55.6 YEARS, WERE MOSTLY NON-HISPANIC WHITE, MALE, AND HAD ADVANCE STAGE HEAD AND NECK CANCER. CAREGIVERS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 58 YEARS AND WERE MAINLY NON-HISPANIC WHITE AND FEMALE. ANALYSES OF THE INTERVIEWS REVEALED 2 OVERARCHING THEMES: (1) THE STORM'S NEGATIVE IMPACT AND (2) THE USE OF YOGA TO COPE WITH THE HURRICANE-RELATED STRESSORS. CONCLUSIONS: PATIENT-CAREGIVER DYADS EXPERIENCED PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS DURING THE STORM AND/OR ITS AFTERMATH. DYADS USED YOGA TECHNIQUES TO COPE WITH THESE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESSORS. YOGA SERVED AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AS DYADS EITHER PARTICIPATED IN THESE ACTIVITIES TOGETHER OR WITH OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS. 2019