1 2928 130 [YOGA IN GERMANY - RESULTS OF A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY]. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED AS A THERAPEUTIC AND PREVENTIVE METHOD WORLDWIDE. THE AIM OF THIS NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SURVEY WAS TO ASSESS PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE IN GERMANY. METHODS: BETWEEN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 2014, A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF 2,041 INDIVIDUALS OF AT LEAST 14 YEARS OF AGE WAS INTERVIEWED REGARDING ACTUAL AND PRIOR YOGA PRACTICE. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SOCIOECONOMIC SUBGROUPS WERE ANALYZED USING CHI-SQUARED TESTS. RESULTS: LIFETIME PREVALENCE OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS 15.1%, POINT PREVALENCE 3.3%. HIGHER PREVALENCE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALE GENDER (P < 0.001), HIGHER EDUCATION (P < 0.001), EMPLOYMENT (P = 0.047), AND LIVING IN A MAJOR CITY (P < 0.001). MEAN DURATION OF YOGA PRACTICE WAS 48.2 MONTHS; 61.7% PRACTICED AT LEAST ONCE WEEKLY. THE MAIN REASONS FOR YOGA PRACTICE WERE IMPROVED PHYSICAL (62.8%) AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (56.9%) AS WELL AS PHYSICAL (54.4%) AND MENTAL CAPACITY (50.0%). POSITIVE CHANGES DUE TO YOGA WERE REPORTED BY 89.7% OF PRACTITIONERS, MAINLY INCREASED INNER BALANCE (58.8%). ANOTHER 16.1% OF THOSE WHO WERE NOT CURRENTLY PRACTICING COULD IMAGINE PRACTICING YOGA IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS. CONCLUSION: AN ESTIMATED 15.7 MILLION GERMANS ARE CURRENTLY PRACTICING YOGA OR ARE AT LEAST INTERESTED IN STARTING TO PRACTICE, MOST COMMONLY WOMEN, METROPOLITANS, AND THOSE WITH A HIGHER EDUCATION AS WELL AS EMPLOYED PERSONS. ALMOST 90% PRACTITIONERS REPORT POSITIVE CHANGES DUE TO THEIR YOGA PRACTICE.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
2 2685  37 YOGA IN THE REAL WORLD: PERCEPTIONS, MOTIVATORS, BARRIERS, AND PATTERNS OF USE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY EXERCISE PRACTICED BY NEARLY 16 MILLION US ADULTS. CLINICAL YOGA RESEARCH HAS YIELDED PROMISING FINDINGS IN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, RESEARCH IN NON-PATIENT POPULATIONS IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO SURVEY A NON-CLINICAL POPULATION TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA USE IN A REAL-WORLD SETTING. METHODS: THIS STUDY USED A PRE-POST TEST DESIGN IN A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF ADULTS REGISTERED FOR A 4-WEEK BEGINNER YOGA PROGRAM WITHIN A NETWORK OF FIVE YOGA STUDIOS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. STUDENTS WERE LINKED VIA E-MAIL TO BASELINE AND ENDPOINT SURVEYS. ANALYSES WERE DESCRIPTIVE. RESULTS: SIX HUNDRED FOUR STUDENTS COMPLETED THE BASELINE SURVEY, AND 290 (48%) COMPLETED THE 4-WEEK ENDPOINT SURVEY. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS WERE SIMILAR TO THOSE IN NATIONAL SURVEYS, WITH RESPONDENTS BEING PRIMARILY FEMALE (86%), WHITE (88%), AND COLLEGE EDUCATED (78%). THE PRIMARY BARRIER TO PRACTICE WAS TIME (55%). RESPONDENTS PERCEIVED YOGA PRIMARILY AS AN EXERCISE ACTIVITY (92%), SPIRITUAL ACTIVITY (73%), OR A WAY TO MANAGE OR TREAT A HEALTH CONDITION (50%). MAIN REASONS FOR TAKING YOGA WERE GENERAL WELLNESS (81%), PHYSICAL EXERCISE (80%), AND STRESS MANAGEMENT (73%). NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT BELIEVED YOGA WOULD IMPROVE THEIR HEALTH, WITH 28% TAKING YOGA TO ALLEVIATE A HEALTH CONDITION. ON AVERAGE, RESPONDENTS PRACTICED 3 TO 4 HOURS/ WEEK IN AND OUT OF CLASS. CONCLUSIONS: RESPONDENT DEMOGRAPHICS WERE CONSISTENT WITH NATIONAL SURVEY DATA. DATA SHOW THAT YOGA IS PERCEIVED SEVERAL WAYS. INFORMATION ON PRACTICE PATTERNS PROVIDES NEW INFORMATION, WHICH MAY IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW NON-CLINICAL POPULATIONS INCORPORATE YOGA INTO DAILY LIFE FOR HEALTH MANAGEMENT.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
3 2370  36 WHAT BRINGS YOUNG ADULTS TO THE YOGA MAT? CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AND PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROJECT EAT-IV SURVEY. OBJECTIVES: THIS STUDY EXAMINES MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA AND IDENTIFIES UNIQUE MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG A SAMPLE OF YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS. THIS STUDY FURTHER DETERMINES HOW YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES ASSOCIATE WITH PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS. SUBJECTS/SETTING: SURVEY DATA WERE DRAWN FROM THE FOURTH WAVE OF A LARGE, POPULATION-BASED STUDY (PROJECT EAT-IV; EATING AND ACTIVITY IN TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS). DESIGN: LATENT CLASS ANALYSIS (LCA) WAS USED TO IDENTIFY MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AMONG PROJECT EAT-IV PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING YOGA (N = 297; MEAN AGE: 30.8-1.7 YEARS; 79.7 % FEMALE). CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN LATENT MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, PHYSICAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS WERE DETERMINED WITH UNADJUSTED AND ADJUSTED (GENDER, RACE/ETHNICITY, AND BODY MASS INDEX) GENERAL LINEAR MODELS. RESULTS: ACROSS MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES, MOST YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE MOTIVATED BY ENHANCED FITNESS AND STRESS REDUCTION/RELAXATION. ADDITIONAL MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA CLUSTERED BY APPEARANCE (DESIRE TO CHANGE BODY APPEARANCE OR WEIGHT) OR MINDFULNESS (DESIRE TO INCREASE PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS) UNDERPINNINGS. THE LCA CHARACTERIZED MOTIVATIONAL PROFILES AS "LOW APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 1; N = 77), "LOW APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 2; N = 48), "HIGH APPEARANCE, LOW MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 3; N = 79), AND "HIGH APPEARANCE, HIGH MINDFULNESS" (CLASS 4; N = 93). HAVING A PROFILE WITH HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 2) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER BODY SATISFACTION IN COMPARISON TO THE OTHER CLASSES (P < 0.001). RELATIVE TO CLASS 2, THOSE WITH LOW MINDFULNESS MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 1; CLASS 3) REPORTED LESS TOTAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (P = 0.002) AND THOSE WITH HIGH APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS (CLASS 3; CLASS 4) REPORTED HIGHER COMPULSIVE EXERCISE SCORES (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: IN THIS SAMPLE, HIGH MINDFULNESS AND LOW APPEARANCE MOTIVATIONS FOR YOGA APPEARED OPTIMAL FOR PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH. CROSS-SECTIONAL FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT YOUNG ADULT YOGA PRACTITIONERS' MIND-BODY HEALTH MAY BE SUPPORTED BY MOTIVATIONAL UNDERPINNINGS THAT EMPHASIZE YOGA'S INTERNAL (MINDFULNESS) RATHER THAN EXTERNAL (APPEARANCE) BENEFITS.	2022	
  
4  291  44 ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA: A NATIONAL CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY. BACKGROUND: WHILE YOGA IS INCREASINGLY USED FOR HEALTH PURPOSES, ITS SAFETY HAS BEEN QUESTIONED. THE AIM OF THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY WAS TO ANALYZE YOGA-ASSOCIATED ADVERSE EFFECTS AND THEIR CORRELATES. METHODS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL ANONYMOUS NATIONAL ONLINE SURVEY AMONG GERMAN YOGA PRACTITIONERS (N = 1702; 88.9% FEMALE; 47.2 +/- 10.8 YEARS) WAS CONDUCTED FROM JANUARY TO JUNE 2016. PARTICIPANTS WERE QUERIED REGARDING THEIR YOGA PRACTICE, I.E. YOGA STYLES USED, LENGTH AND INTENSITY OF YOGA PRACTICE, PRACTICE PATTERNS, AND WHETHER THEY HAD EXPERIENCED ACUTE OR CHRONIC ADVERSE EFFECTS OF THEIR YOGA PRACTICE. INDEPENDENT PREDICTORS OF ACUTE OR CHRONIC ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE IDENTIFIED USING MULTIPLE LOGISTIC REGRESSION ANALYSES. RESULTS: ASHTANGA YOGA (15.7%), TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA (14.2%), AND SIVANANDA YOGA (22.4%) WERE THE MOST COMMONLY USED YOGA STYLES. 364 (21.4%) YOGA USERS REPORTED 702 ACUTE ADVERSE EFFECTS, OCCURRING AFTER A MEAN OF 7.6 +/- 8.0 YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE. THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED YOGA PRACTICES THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ACUTE ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE HAND-, SHOULDER- AND HEAD STANDS (29.4%). USING VINIYOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASED RISK OF ACUTE ADVERSE EFFECTS; PRACTICING ONLY BY SELF-STUDY WITHOUT SUPERVISION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER RISK. ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE PARTICIPANTS (10.2%) REPORTED 239 CHRONIC ADVERSE EFFECTS. THE RISK OF CHRONIC ADVERSE EFFECTS WAS HIGHER IN PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC ILLNESSES AND THOSE PRACTICING ONLY BY SELF-STUDY WITHOUT SUPERVISION. MOST REPORTED ADVERSE EFFECTS CONCERNED THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM. 76.9% OF ACUTE CASES, AND 51.6% OF CHRONIC CASES REACHED FULL RECOVERY. ON AVERAGE 0.60 INJURIES (95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL = 0.51-0.71) PER 1000 H OF PRACTICE WERE REPORTED, WITH POWER YOGA USERS REPORTING THE HIGHEST RATE (1.50 INJURIES PER 1000 H; 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL = 0.98-3.15). CONCLUSIONS: ONE IN FIVE ADULT YOGA USERS REPORTED AT LEAST ONE ACUTE ADVERSE EFFECT IN THEIR YOGA PRACTICE, AND ONE IN TEN REPORTED AT LEAST ONE CHRONIC ADVERSE EFFECT, MAINLY MUSCULOSKELETAL EFFECTS. ADVERSE EFFECTS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HAND-, SHOULDER- AND HEAD STANDS; AND WITH YOGA SELF-STUDY WITHOUT SUPERVISION. MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF OF CASES REACHED FULL RECOVERY. BASED ON THE OVERALL INJURY RATE PER 1000 PRACTICE HOURS, YOGA APPEARS TO BE AS SAFE OR SAFER WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER EXERCISE TYPES.	2019	

5 2681  37 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
6  575  32 DEMOGRAPHIC, HEALTH BEHAVIOR, AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTOR PROFILE IN YOGA AND NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS: NHANES 1999-2006. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE AND COMPARE THE DEMOGRAPHIC, HEALTH BEHAVIOR, AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISK FACTOR CHARACTERISTICS OF PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORT 1) PARTICIPATING IN YOGA, 2) NOT PARTICIPATING YOGA, OR 3) ARE INACTIVE, USING A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF U.S. ADULTS. DESIGN: STUDY PARTICIPANTS WERE FROM THE 1999-2006 NATIONAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION EXAMINATION SURVEY (NHANES) WHO SELF-REPORTED PARTICIPATION IN YOGA (N = 74), NO-YOGA (N = 3,753) OR WERE INACTIVE (N = 1,285). PARTICIPANTS IN THE NO-YOGA GROUP DID ENGAGE IN OTHER TYPES OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WHILE THE INACTIVE GROUP REPORTED NO ACTIVITY DURING THE SURVEY PERIOD. RESULTS: YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE PRIMARILY FEMALE (80.7%), COLLEGE EDUCATED (51.9%), MOSTLY NON-SMOKERS (46.9%), AND REPORTED MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION (72.1%). YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS LIKELY TO HAVE AN ELEVATED WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE (OR = 0.40, P < 0.01; OR = 0.30, P < 0.01), AND A LOW HDL (OR = 0.43, P = 0.03; OR = 0.34, P < 0.05) COMPARED TO BOTH NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND INACTIVE INDIVIDUALS, RESPECTIVELY. YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE 61% LESS LIKELY TO HAVE ELEVATED BLOOD GLUCOSE COMPARED TO NON-YOGA PARTICIPANTS (OR = 0.39, P < 0.05). COMPARED TO INACTIVE INDIVIDUALS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE 52% (OR = 0.48, P < 0.05) AND 66% (OR = 0.34, P < 0.05) LESS LIKELY HAVE AN ELEVATED BODY MASS INDEX AND HAVE ELEVATED TRIGLYCERIDE LEVELS, RESPECTIVELY. CONCLUSIONS: GIVEN THE EMERGENCE OF YOGA AS A COMMON FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, IT IS IMPERATIVE TO UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO PARTICIPATE IN YOGA TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. THIS STUDY WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO USE NATIONALLY-REPRESENTATIVE DATA AND OBJECTIVELY MEASURED CARDIOMETABOLIC VARIABLES. KEY WORDS: COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE, EPIDEMIOLOGY, SURVEY, POPULATION, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
7 1781  29 PREDICTORS OF AND BARRIERS TO ADHERENCE IN A 16-WEEK RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF BIKRAM YOGA IN STRESSED AND SEDENTARY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: BIKRAM YOGA MAY ENHANCE HEALTH OUTCOMES IN HEALTHY ADULTS AND THOSE AT RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASE, HOWEVER, CHALLENGES REMAIN IN ACHIEVING OPTIMAL ADHERENCE TO THIS PRACTICE. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED FACTORS INFLUENCING ADHERENCE TO A 16-WEEK BIKRAM YOGA INTERVENTION IN STRESSED AND SEDENTARY ADULTS. METHODS: EXPERIMENTAL GROUP PARTICIPANTS (N = 29) WERE INSTRUCTED TO ATTEND 3-5 BIKRAM YOGA CLASSES WEEKLY FOR 16 WEEKS. BASELINE DEMOGRAPHICS, BEHAVIOURS AND HEALTH MEASURES WERE INVESTIGATED AS PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE. BARRIERS WERE ASSESSED VIA DOCUMENTATION OF ADVERSE EVENTS, AND EXIT SURVEY RESPONSES. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS (38.2 +/- 10.1 YEARS) WERE PREDOMINANTLY OVERWEIGHT-OBESE (83%), FEMALE (79%), AND ATTENDED 27 +/- 18 CLASSES. HIGHER ADHERENCE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH OLDER AGE (P = 0.094), LESS PAIN (P = 0.011), FEWER PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS (P = 0.011), POORER BLOOD LIPID PROFILE, AND HIGHER HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV; TOTAL POWER, (P = 0.097)). IN MULTI-VARIABLE ANALYSIS, THREE VARIABLES: AGE (BETA = 0.492, P = 0.006), HRV (BETA = 0.413, P = 0.021) AND PAIN (BETA = 0.329, P = 0.048) REMAINED PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE. DIFFICULTY COMMITTING TO THE TRIAL, LACK OF ENJOYMENT AND ADVERSE EVENTS WERE BARRIERS TO ADHERENCE. CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE BIKRAM YOGA TRIALS TO FACILITATE HIGHER LEVELS OF ADHERENCE, WHICH MAY ENHANCE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND INFORM COMMUNITY PRACTICE. FUTURE TRIALS SHOULD INVESTIGATE AND ADDRESS ADDITIONAL BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF BIKRAM YOGA PRACTICE.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
8 1150  43 ENHANCING ACCESS TO YOGA FOR OLDER MALE VETERANS AFTER CANCER: EXAMINING BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE CLINICAL INTERVENTION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS. MOST STUDIES OF THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON CANCER PATIENTS REPORT ON PREDOMINANTLY MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER. LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE USE OF YOGA IN OLDER ADULTS, VETERANS, AND THOSE FROM DIVERSE RACIAL OR ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS. METHODS: WE EXAMINED STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO YOGA IN OLDER VETERANS AFTER CANCER, FOCUSING ON EDUCATION (STUDY 1) AND INTERVENTION (STUDY 2). STUDY 1 INCLUDED 110 PARTICIPANTS WITH A MEDIAN (SD) AGE OF 64.9 (9.4) YEARS WHO WERE MOSTLY MALE (99%) CANCER SURVIVORS WHO WERE INTERVIEWED 12 MONTHS AFTER THEIR CANCER DIAGNOSIS. STUDY 2 INCLUDED 28 PARTICIPANTS WITH A MEDIAN (SD) AGE OF 69.2 (10.9) YEARS WHO WERE MOSTLY MALE (96%) CANCER SURVIVORS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA PROGRAM WITHIN 3 YEARS OF THEIR CANCER DIAGNOSIS. STANDARDIZED INTERVIEWS ASSESSED INTEREST IN AND BARRIERS TO YOGA WHILE SELF-REPORTING ASSESSED HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA. RESULTS: IN STUDY 1, INTEREST IN YOGA INCREASED FROM 5.5 TO 31.8% (CHI (2) = 22.25, P < .001) FOLLOWING EDUCATION. IN OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS 4 THEMES RELATED TO NEGATIVE BELIEFS OR BARRIERS EMERGED: LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OR SKEPTICISM, DISINTEREST OR DISLIKE, PHYSICAL HEALTH BARRIERS, AND LOGISTICAL BARRIERS. IN STUDY 2, BELIEFS WERE MORE POSITIVE FOLLOWING INTERVENTION FOR EXPECTED BENEFITS (T = 4.44, P < .001), DISCOMFORT (T = 4.92, P < .001), AND SOCIAL NORMS (T = 4.38, P < .001) RELATED TO YOGA. PHYSICAL FUNCTION IMPROVED AFTER PARTICIPATION IN A YOGA CLASS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WITH HIGHER BELIEFS IN YOGA PRIOR TO CLASS. AGE WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA IN EITHER SAMPLE. CONCLUSIONS: A PORTION OF OLDER VETERANS WHO ARE CANCER SURVIVORS WERE INTERESTED IN YOGA BUT FACED ACCESS BARRIERS. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE AND RESEARCH INCLUDE INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT YOGA BENEFITS AND ADDRESSING PHYSICAL HEALTH AND LOGISTICAL BARRIERS TO ENHANCE ACCESS TO YOGA FOR OLDER VETERANS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
9 1271  29 FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE PREDICTS HEALTH: RESULTS OF A NATIONAL SURVEY OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS. BACKGROUND. YOGA SHOWS PROMISE AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION, BUT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND HEALTH ARE UNDEREXPLORED. PURPOSE. TO EXAMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA PRACTICE AND HEALTH (SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, DIET, BMI, SMOKING, ALCOHOL/CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION, SLEEP, FATIGUE, SOCIAL SUPPORT, MINDFULNESS, AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY). METHODS. CROSS-SECTIONAL, ANONYMOUS INTERNET SURVEYS DISTRIBUTED TO 4307 RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM 18,160 INDIVIDUALS AT 15 US IYENGAR YOGA STUDIOS; 1045 (24.3%) SURVEYS COMPLETED. RESULTS. MEAN AGE 51.7 (+/- 11.7) YEARS; 84.2% FEMALE. FREQUENCY OF HOME PRACTICE FAVORABLY PREDICTED (P < .001): MINDFULNESS, SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING, BMI, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION, VEGETARIAN STATUS, SLEEP, AND FATIGUE. EACH COMPONENT OF YOGA PRACTICE (DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF PHYSICAL POSES, BREATH WORK, MEDITATION, PHILOSOPHY STUDY) PREDICTED AT LEAST 1 HEALTH OUTCOME (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS. HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA PREDICTED HEALTH BETTER THAN YEARS OF PRACTICE OR CLASS FREQUENCY. DIFFERENT PHYSICAL POSES AND YOGA TECHNIQUES MAY HAVE UNIQUE HEALTH BENEFITS.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
10 1847  33 QUALITY OF LIFE IN YOGA EXPERIENCED AND YOGA NAIVE ASIAN INDIAN ADULTS WITH OBESITY. BACKGROUND: OBESITY ADVERSELY AFFECTS QUALITY OF LIFE WHICH THEN ACTS AS A BARRIER TO WEIGHT LOSS AND WEIGHT LOSS MAINTENANCE. HENCE, THOSE INTERVENTIONS WHICH POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE QUALITY OF LIFE ALONG WITH WEIGHT REDUCTION ARE CONSIDERED USEFUL FOR SUSTAINED WEIGHT LOSS IN PERSONS WITH OBESITY. AN EARLIER STUDY SHOWED BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN OBESE ADULTS WHO HAD EXPERIENCE OF YOGA COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE OBESE ADULTS. HOWEVER, THE MAIN LIMITATION OF THE STUDY WAS THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE (N=20 IN EACH GROUP). OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE WHETHER WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES THE QUALITY OF LIFE WOULD DIFFER IN YOGA EXPERIENCED COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE ADULTS WITH OBESITY. METHODS: THERE WERE 596 ASIAN INDIAN OBESE ADULTS (AGE RANGE 20 TO 59 YEARS; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 43.9 +/- 9.9 YEARS): OF WHOM (I) 298 WERE YOGA EXPERIENCED (154 FEMALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 44.0 +/- 9.8 YEARS) WITH A MINIMUM OF 1 MONTH OF EXPERIENCE IN YOGA PRACTICE AND (II) 298 WERE YOGA NAIVE (154 FEMALES; GROUP MEAN AGE +/- SD; 43.8 +/- 10.0 YEARS). ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR QUALITY OF LIFE USING THE MOOREHEAD-ARDELT QUALITY OF LIFE QUESTIONNAIRE II. DATA WERE DRAWN FROM A LARGER NATIONWIDE TRIAL WHICH ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA COMPARED TO NUTRITIONAL ADVICE ON OBESITY OVER A ONE-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (CTRI/2018/05/014077). RESULTS: THERE WERE HIGHER PARTICIPANT-REPORTED OUTCOMES FOR FOUR OUT OF SIX ASPECTS OF QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE YOGA EXPERIENCED COMPARED TO THE YOGA NAIVE (P < 0.008, BASED ON T VALUES OF THE LEAST SQUARES LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSES, BONFERRONI ADJUSTED, AND ADJUSTED FOR AGE, GENDER, AND BMI AS COVARIATES). THESE WERE ENJOYMENT IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, ABILITY TO WORK, SELF-ESTEEM, AND SOCIAL SATISFACTION. CONCLUSION: OBESE ADULTS WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE APPEAR TO HAVE BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN SPECIFIC ASPECTS, COMPARED TO YOGA NAIVE PERSONS WITH A COMPARABLE DEGREE OF OBESITY.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
11 2060  37 THE BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC LOW BACK (CLBP) PAIN IS PREVALENT AMONG MILITARY VETERANS AND OFTEN LEADS TO FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS, PSYCHOLOGIC SYMPTOMS, LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE, AND HIGHER HEALTH CARE COSTS. AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF U.S. VETERANS ARE WOMEN, AND WOMEN VETERANS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT HEALTH CARE NEEDS THAN MEN VETERANS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON WOMEN AND MEN WITH CLBP. SUBJECTS/SETTING/INTERVENTION: VA PATIENTS WITH CLBP WERE REFERRED BY PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM. DESIGN: RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A BRIEF BATTERY OF QUESTIONNAIRES BEFORE THEIR FIRST YOGA CLASS AND AGAIN 10 WEEKS LATER IN A SINGLE-GROUP, PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN. OUTCOME MEASURES: QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN (PAIN SEVERITY SCALE), DEPRESSION (CESD-10), ENERGY/FATIGUE, AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-12). YOGA ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA WERE ALSO MEASURED. REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS USED TO ANALYZE GROUP DIFFERENCES OVER TIME WHILE CONTROLLING FOR BASELINE DIFFERENCES. RESULTS: THE 53 PARTICIPANTS WHO COMPLETED BOTH ASSESSMENTS HAD A MEAN AGE OF 53 YEARS, AND WERE WELL EDUCATED, 41% NONWHITE, 49% MARRIED, AND HAD VARYING EMPLOYMENT STATUS. WOMEN PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER DECREASES IN DEPRESSION (P=0.046) AND PAIN "ON AVERAGE" (P=0.050), AND LARGER INCREASES IN ENERGY (P=0.034) AND SF-12 MENTAL HEALTH (P=0.044) THAN MEN WHO PARTICIPATED. THE GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON YOGA ATTENDANCE OR HOME PRACTICE OF YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT WOMEN VETERANS MAY BENEFIT MORE THAN MEN VETERANS FROM YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR CHRONIC BACK PAIN. CONCLUSIONS ARE TENTATIVE BECAUSE OF THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGN. A MORE RIGOROUS STUDY IS BEING DESIGNED TO ANSWER THESE RESEARCH QUESTIONS MORE DEFINITIVELY.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
12 1440  31 INCREASED HATHA YOGA EXPERIENCE PREDICTS LOWER BODY MASS INDEX AND REDUCED MEDICATION USE IN WOMEN OVER 45 YEARS. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE MANY SHORT-TERM HEALTH BENEFITS, BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE BENEFITS ACCRUE OVER A LONG TIME FRAME OR WITH FREQUENT PRACTICE. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) AND MEDICATION USE IN A SAMPLE OF FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS OVER 45 YEARS VARIED ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WE ADMINISTERED ONLINE SURVEYS TO 211 FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED 45 TO 80 YEARS. WE USED REGRESSION ANALYSES TO EVALUATE THE RELATIONSHIP OF EXTENT OF YOGA EXPERIENCE TO BOTH BMI AND MEDICATION USE AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR AGE AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. WE ALSO CONDUCTED COMPARISONS WITH 182 MATCHED CONTROLS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS HAD PRACTICED YOGA FOR AS LONG AS 50 YEARS AND FOR UP TO 28 HOURS PER WEEK. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT INVERSE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA EXPERIENCE AND BOTH BMI AND MEDICATION LOAD. THESE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS REMAINED AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR AGE AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. WHEN WE COMPUTED YOGA EXPERIENCE IN TERMS OF TOTAL CALENDAR YEARS, WITHOUT ACCOUNTING FOR HOURS OF PRACTICE, SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS DID NOT REMAIN. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO OBESITY IN THE 49 PARTICIPANTS WITH MORE THAN 25 YEARS OF YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS WERE LESS LIKELY THAN NON-PRACTITIONERS TO USE MEDICATION FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME, MOOD DISORDERS, INFLAMMATION, AND PAIN. CONCLUSIONS: A LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LITTLE OR NO OBESITY IN A NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF WOMEN OVER 45 YEARS. RELATIONSHIPS SHOWED A DOSE-RESPONSE EFFECT, WITH INCREASED YOGA EXPERIENCE PREDICTING LOWER BMI AND REDUCED MEDICATION USE.	2011	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
13 2558  34 YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION: A PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SEVERAL STUDIES SUGGEST YOGA MAY BE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN; HOWEVER, TRIALS TARGETING MINORITIES HAVE NOT BEEN CONDUCTED. PRIMARY STUDY OBJECTIVES: ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF STUDYING YOGA IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. COLLECT PRELIMINARY DATA TO PLAN A LARGER POWERED STUDY. STUDY DESIGN: PILOT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: TWO COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS IN A RACIALLY DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. PARTICIPANTS: THIRTY ENGLISH-SPEAKING ADULTS (MEAN AGE 44 YEARS, 83% FEMALE, 83% RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES; 48% WITH INCOMES < OR = $30,000) WITH MODERATE-TO-SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVENTIONS: STANDARDIZED SERIES OF WEEKLY HATHA YOGA CLASSES FOR 12 WEEKS COMPARED TO A WAITLIST USUAL CARE CONTROL. OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY MEASURED BY TIME TO COMPLETE ENROLLMENT, PROPORTION OF RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES ENROLLED, RETENTION RATES, AND ADVERSE EVENTS. PRIMARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGES FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS IN PAIN SCORE (0=NO PAIN TO 10=WORST POSSIBLE PAIN) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION USING THE MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (0-23 POINT SCALE, HIGHER SCORES REFLECT POORER FUNCTION). SECONDARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE ANALGESIC USE, GLOBAL IMPROVEMENT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (SF-36). RESULTS: RECRUITMENT TOOK 2 MONTHS. RETENTION RATES WERE 97% AT 12 WEEKS AND 77% AT 26 WEEKS. MEAN PAIN SCORES FOR YOGA DECREASED FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS (6.7 TO 4.4) COMPARED TO USUAL CARE, WHICH DECREASED FROM 7.5 TO 7.1 (P=.02). MEAN ROLAND SCORES FOR YOGA DECREASED FROM 14.5 TO 8.2 COMPARED TO USUAL CARE, WHICH DECREASED FROM 16.1 TO 12.5 (P=.28). AT 12 WEEKS, YOGA COMPARED TO USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED LESS ANALGESIC USE (13% VS 73%, P=.003), LESS OPIATE USE (0% VS 33%, P=.04), AND GREATER OVERALL IMPROVEMENT (73% VS 27%, P=.03). THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN SF-36 SCORES AND NO SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS. CONCLUSION: A YOGA STUDY INTERVENTION IN A PREDOMINANTLY MINORITY POPULATION WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN WAS MODERATELY FEASIBLE AND MAY BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN USUAL CARE FOR REDUCING PAIN AND PAIN MEDICATION USE.	2009	
                                                                                                                                                                                                
14  269  35 ADAPTED YOGA TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A HOLISTIC THERAPY OF EXPANDING POPULARITY, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A RANGE OF PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS. THIS TRIAL EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTS OF AN ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME ON PHYSICAL FUNCTION AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: IN THIS RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL, 52 OLDER ADULTS (90% FEMALE; MEAN AGE 74.8 YEARS, SD 7.2) WERE RANDOMISED 1:1 TO A YOGA PROGRAMME OR WAIT-LIST CONTROL. THE YOGA GROUP (N = 25) RECEIVED A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EDUCATION BOOKLET AND WERE INVITED TO ATTEND TEN YOGA SESSIONS DURING A 12-WEEK PERIOD. THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 27) RECEIVED THE EDUCATION BOOKLET ONLY. MEASURES OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION (E.G., SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY; SPPB), HEALTH STATUS (EQ-5D) AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (WARWICK-EDINBURGH MENTAL WELL-BEING SCALE; WEMWBS) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 3 MONTHS. FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED USING COURSE ATTENDANCE AND ADVERSE EVENT DATA, AND PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS. RESULTS: FORTY-SEVEN PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED FOLLOW-UP ASSESSMENTS. MEDIAN CLASS ATTENDANCE WAS 8 (RANGE 3 TO 10). AT THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, THE YOGA GROUP HAD A HIGHER SPPB TOTAL SCORE COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP (MEAN DIFFERENCE 0.9, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] -0.3 TO 2.0), A FASTER TIME TO RISE FROM A CHAIR FIVE TIMES (MEAN DIFFERENCE - 1.73 S, 95% CI -4.08 TO 0.62), AND BETTER PERFORMANCE ON THE CHAIR SIT-AND-REACH LOWER-LIMB FLEXIBILITY TEST (MEAN DIFFERENCE 5 CM, 95% CI 0 TO 10). THE YOGA GROUP ALSO HAD SUPERIOR HEALTH STATUS AND MENTAL WELL-BEING (VS. CONTROL) AT 3 MONTHS, WITH MEAN DIFFERENCES IN EQ-5D AND WEMWBS SCORES OF 0.12 (95% CI, 0.03 TO 0.21) AND 6 (95% CI, 1 TO 11), RESPECTIVELY. THE INTERVIEWS INDICATED THAT PARTICIPANTS VALUED ATTENDING THE YOGA PROGRAMME, AND THAT THEY EXPERIENCED A RANGE OF BENEFITS. CONCLUSIONS: THE ADAPTED YOGA PROGRAMME APPEARED TO BE FEASIBLE AND POTENTIALLY BENEFICIAL IN TERMS OF IMPROVING MENTAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING AND ASPECTS OF PHYSICAL FUNCTION IN PHYSICALLY-INACTIVE OLDER ADULTS. AN APPROPRIATELY-POWERED TRIAL IS REQUIRED TO CONFIRM THE FINDINGS OF THE PRESENT STUDY AND TO DETERMINE LONGER-TERM EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02663726 .	2017	
                                                
15 1788  33 PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE THAT YOGA PRACTICE PROGRESSIVELY IMPROVES MOOD AND DECREASES STRESS IN A SAMPLE OF UK PRISONERS. OBJECTIVES. IN THE FIRST RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA ON UK PRISONERS, WE PREVIOUSLY SHOWED THAT YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MENTAL WELLBEING AND COGNITION. HERE, WE AIMED TO ASSESS HOW CLASS ATTENDANCE, SELF-PRACTICE, AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS WERE RELATED TO OUTCOME AMONGST PRISONERS ENROLLED IN THE 10-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. METHODS. THE DATA OF 55 PARTICIPANTS (52 MALE, 3 FEMALE) WHO COMPLETED A 10-WEEK YOGA COURSE WERE ANALYSED. CHANGES IN PRE- AND POSTYOGA MEASURES OF AFFECT, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS WERE ENTERED INTO LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSES WITH BIAS-CORRECTED AND ACCELERATED BOOTSTRAP CONFIDENCE INTERVALS. CLASS ATTENDANCE, SELF-PRACTICE, DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, AND BASELINE PSYCHOMETRIC VARIABLES WERE INCLUDED AS REGRESSORS. RESULTS. PARTICIPANTS WHO ATTENDED MORE YOGA CLASSES AND THOSE WHO ENGAGED IN FREQUENT (5 TIMES OR MORE) SELF-PRACTICE REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DECREASES IN PERCEIVED STRESS. DECREASES IN NEGATIVE AFFECT WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO HIGH FREQUENCY SELF-PRACTICE AND GREATER CLASS ATTENDANCE AT A NEAR-SIGNIFICANT LEVEL. AGE WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE, AND HIGHER LEVELS OF EDUCATION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER DECREASES IN NEGATIVE AFFECT. CONCLUSIONS. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THERE MAY BE PROGRESSIVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA WITHIN PRISON POPULATIONS AND POINT TO SUBPOPULATIONS WHO MAY BENEFIT THE MOST FROM THIS PRACTICE.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
16 2639  31 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW-BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVES: CHRONIC BACK PAIN AFFECTS A LARGE PROPORTION OF BOTH THE GENERAL POPULATION AND OF MILITARY VETERANS. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS THERAPIES EXIST FOR TREATING CHRONIC BACK PAIN, THEY CAN BE COSTLY AND TEND TO HAVE LIMITED EFFECTIVENESS. THUS, DEMONSTRATING THE EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDITIONAL TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES IS IMPORTANT. THE PURPOSE OF OUR STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE BENEFITS OF A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VETERANS ADMINISTRATION (VA) PATIENTS. SUBJECTS/INTERVENTION: VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN WERE REFERRED BY THEIR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS TO A YOGA PROGRAM AS PART OF CLINICAL CARE. BEFORE STARTING YOGA, A VA PHYSICIAN TRAINED IN YOGA EVALUATED EACH PATIENT TO ENSURE THAT THEY COULD PARTICIPATE SAFELY. DESIGN: THE RESEARCH STUDY CONSISTED OF COMPLETING A SHORT BATTERY OF QUESTIONNAIRES AT BASELINE AND AGAIN 10 WEEKS LATER. OUTCOME MEASURES: QUESTIONNAIRES INCLUDED MEASURES OF PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE, AND PROGRAM SATISFACTION. PAIRED T-TESTS WERE USED TO COMPARE BASELINE SCORES TO THOSE AT THE 10-WEEK FOLLOW-UP FOR THE SINGLE GROUP, PRE-POST DESIGN. CORRELATIONS WERE USED TO EXAMINE WHETHER YOGA ATTENDANCE AND HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER OUTCOMES. RESULTS: BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP DATA WERE AVAILABLE FOR 33 PARTICIPANTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE VA PATIENTS WITH A MEAN AGE OF 55 YEARS. THEY WERE 21% FEMALE, 70% WHITE, 52% MARRIED, 68% COLLEGE GRADUATES, AND 44% WERE RETIRED. SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE FOUND FOR PAIN, DEPRESSION, ENERGY/FATIGUE, AND THE SHORT FORM-12 MENTAL HEALTH SCALE. THE NUMBER OF YOGA SESSIONS ATTENDED AND THE FREQUENCY OF HOME PRACTICE WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED OUTCOMES. PARTICIPANTS APPEARED HIGHLY SATISFIED WITH THE YOGA INSTRUCTOR AND MODERATELY SATISFIED WITH THE EASE OF PARTICIPATION AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. CONCLUSIONS: PRELIMINARY DATA SUGGEST THAT A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR VA PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC BACK PAIN MAY IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF VETERANS. HOWEVER, THE LIMITATIONS OF A PRE-POST STUDY DESIGN MAKE CONCLUSIONS TENTATIVE. A LARGER RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE YOGA PROGRAM IS PLANNED.	2008	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
17  281  27 ADHERENCE TO AND CHANGES IN MENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL HEALTH DURING AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: PARTICIPATING IN YOGA MAY BE IDEAL FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH. PURPOSE: TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPACT OF AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WITHIN A UNIVERSITY SETTING ON MENTAL AND PHYSIOLOGIC HEATH. METHODS: THIS 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION INCLUDED TWELVE YOGA-NAIVE ADULTS, (23.8 +/- 4.6 YEARS; 71% FEMALE). PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED TWO 60-MIN YOGA CLASSES/WEEK IN ADDITION TO BASELINE, MID- AND POST-LAB VISITS. RESULTS: 83% OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED >/=75% OF YOGA CLASSES. STRESS AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS DECREASED BY 11% AND 25%, RESPECTIVELY AND ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE (ESR) REDUCED BY 28%. PARTICIPANTS WHO DID NOT MEET PHYSICAL ACTIVITY RECOMMENDATIONS OBSERVED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN STRESS, DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS, ESR, AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN COMPARED TO PARTICIPANTS WHO MET RECOMMENDATIONS. CONCLUSION: THE MAJORITY OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED >/=12 OF 16 YOGA CLASSES. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES PROVIDE PRELIMINARY SUPPORT FOR THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON REDUCING STRESS, SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION, AND ESR. PARTICIPANTS WHO WERE NOT MEETING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES PRIOR TO STARTING THE INTERVENTION RECEIVED GREATER BENEFITS.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
18 2537  40 YOGA EXPERIENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLNESS IN WOMEN OVER 45 YEARS. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH HIGH LEVELS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING (SWB) ARE COMMON IN OLD AGE, A SUBSET OF OLDER INDIVIDUALS IS DISPROPORTIONATELY VULNERABLE TO NEGATIVE AFFECT. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE MANY SHORT-TERM BENEFITS, BUT RESEARCHERS HAVE NOT DETERMINED WHETHER A LONG-TERM OR FREQUENT YOGA PRACTICE INCREASINGLY PROTECTS OLDER WOMEN FROM LOW LEVELS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. AIMS: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES, TRANSCENDENCE, MENTAL MASTERY, AND SUBJECTIVE VITALITY IN A SAMPLE OF FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS OVER 45 YEARS VARIED ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH AND FREQUENCY OF YOGA PRACTICE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: WE ADMINISTERED ONLINE SURVEYS TO A NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF 211 FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS 45 TO 80. WE USED WEIGHTED LEAST SQUARES REGRESSION ANALYSES TO EVALUATE THE RELATIONSHIP OF EXTENT OF YOGA EXPERIENCE TO THE OUTCOME VARIABLES AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR AGE AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS HAD PRACTICED YOGA FOR AS LONG AS 50 YEARS AND FOR UP TO 28 H PER WEEK. THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN YOGA EXPERIENCE AND ALL OUTCOME VARIABLES. THESE SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS REMAINED AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR AGE AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS. WHEN WE COMPUTED YOGA EXPERIENCE IN TERMS OF TOTAL CALENDAR YEARS, WITHOUT ACCOUNTING FOR HOURS OF PRACTICE, SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIPS DID NOT REMAIN. TRANSCENDENCE OF THE ORDINARY WAS THE MOST STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH CURRENT YOGA PRACTICE FREQUENCY, AND POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL ATTITUDES WERE THE MOST STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH TOTAL LIFETIME HOURS OF PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: AMONG A NON-PROBABILITY SAMPLE OF FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS BETWEEN 45 AND 80 YEARS, INCREASED YOGA EXPERIENCE PREDICTED INCREASED LEVELS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING. RESULTS SHOWED A DOSE-RESPONSE EFFECT, WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE EXERCISING AN INCREASINGLY PROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST LOW LEVELS OF SWB AND VITALITY.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
19 1242  32 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
20 2746  27 YOGA PRACTICE IN A COLLEGE SAMPLE: ASSOCIATED CHANGES IN EATING DISORDER, BODY IMAGE, AND RELATED FACTORS OVER TIME. YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVEMENTS IN EATING DISORDER (ED) SYMPTOMS AND BODY DISSATISFACTION. THIS STUDY CONTINUED TO EVALUATE THIS RELATIONSHIP WHILE ALSO ASSESSING CHANGES IN VARIABLES NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH ED SYMPTOMS (SELF-COMPASSION, MINDFULNESS, BODY APPRECIATION, SELF-EFFICACY) THAT ARE EMPHASIZED THROUGHOUT YOGA. MEN WERE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY GIVEN STUDIES HAVE PREDOMINANTLY FOCUSED ON WOMEN. PARTICIPANTS (N = 99, 77.8% WOMEN) WERE RECRUITED FROM A UNIVERSITY-IMPLEMENTED YOGA COURSE AND COMPLETED ASSESSMENTS AT THE BEGINNING (TIME 1 (T1)) AND END (TIME 2 (T2)) OF AN EIGHT-WEEK YOGA COURSE MEETING THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR FIFTY MINUTES. BODY DISSATISFACTION (PS <.05) AND ED PATHOLOGY (P = .02) WERE LOWER AT T2. BODY APPRECIATION (P < .001), SELF-COMPASSION (P = .01), YOGA SELF-EFFICACY (P = .004) WERE HIGHER AT T2. SOME GENDER DIFFERENCES EMERGED. MEN REPORTED GREATER REDUCTIONS IN CONCERN WITH BEING OVERWEIGHT, (OVERWEIGHT PREOCCUPATION) FROM T1 (M = 2.46, SD = 0.61) TO T2 (M = 2.13, SD = 0.61) COMPARED TO WOMEN, T1 (M = 2.75, SD = 0.98) TO T2 (M = 2.69, SD = 0.97) ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE. MEN ALSO REPORTED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN BODY SATISFACTION (APPEARANCE EVALUATION) FROM T1 (M = 3.60, SD = 0.49) TO T2 (M = 3.90, SD = 0.34) COMPARED WITH WOMEN, T1 (M = 3.48, SD = 0.58) TO T2 (M = 3.39, SD = 0.52) ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE. RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH CONCURRENT CHANGES IN PROTECTIVE AND RISK FACTORS FOR ED IN A COLLEGE POPULATION.	2020