1 558 138 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MANAGING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS IN THE WORKPLACE. BACKGROUND: BACK PAIN AND MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS NEGATIVELY AFFECT THE HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE (HRQL) OF EMPLOYEES AND GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL COSTS TO EMPLOYERS. AIMS: TO ASSESS THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR MANAGING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS. METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL EVALUATED AN 8-WEEK YOGA PROGRAMME, WITH A 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, FOR NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (NHS) EMPLOYEES. EFFECTIVENESS IN MANAGING MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS WAS ASSESSED USING REPEATED-MEASURES GENERALIZED LINEAR MODELLING FOR THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (RDQ) AND THE KEELE START BACK SCREENING TOOL. COST-EFFECTIVENESS WAS DETERMINED USING AREA-UNDER-THE-CURVE LINEAR REGRESSION FOR ASSESSING HRQL FROM HEALTHCARE AND SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVES. THE INCREMENTAL COST PER QUALITY-ADJUSTED LIFE YEAR (QALY) WAS ALSO CALCULATED. SICKNESS ABSENCE WAS MEASURED USING ELECTRONIC STAFF RECORDS AT 6 MONTHS. RESULTS: THERE WERE 151 PARTICIPANTS. AT 6 MONTHS, MEAN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS FAVOURING YOGA WERE OBSERVED FOR RDQ [-0.63 (95% CI, -1.78, 0.48)], KEELE START [-0.28 (95% CI, -0.97, 0.07)] AND HRQL (0.016 QALY GAIN). FROM A HEALTHCARE PERSPECTIVE, YOGA YIELDED AN INCREMENTAL COST-EFFECTIVENESS RATIO OF POUND2103 PER QALY. GIVEN A WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR AN ADDITIONAL QALY OF POUND20 000, THE PROBABILITY OF YOGA BEING COST-EFFECTIVE WAS 95%. FROM A SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE, YOGA WAS THE DOMINANT TREATMENT COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. AT 6 MONTHS, ELECTRONIC STAFF RECORDS SHOWED THAT YOGA PARTICIPANTS MISSED A TOTAL OF 2 WORKING DAYS DUE TO MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS COMPARED WITH 43 DAYS FOR USUAL CARE PARTICIPANTS. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA FOR NHS EMPLOYEES MAY ENHANCE HRQL, REDUCE DISABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH BACK PAIN, LOWER SICKNESS ABSENCE DUE TO MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS AND IS LIKELY TO BE COST-EFFECTIVE. 2017 2 2337 30 UNDERUSE OF YOGA AS A REFERRAL RESOURCE BY HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. OBJECTIVE: NEARLY 38% OF U.S. ADULTS USE COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE APPROACHES TO MANAGE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS (E.G., CHRONIC PAIN, ARTHRITIS, CANCER, HEART DISEASE, AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE) AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OR EMOTIONAL HEALTH CONCERNS (E.G., POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION). RESEARCH EVIDENCE HAS ACCUMULATED FOR YOGA AS AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT APPROACH FOR THESE CONDITIONS. FURTHER, YOGA HAS INCREASED IN POPULARITY AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND THE GENERAL POPULATION. GIVEN THESE TRENDS, THIS STUDY EXPLORED PERCEPTIONS ABOUT YOGA AS A VIABLE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT TO WHICH HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS WOULD REFER PATIENTS. PARTICIPANTS: MORE THAN 1500 STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS PROGRAMS AT A PACIFIC NORTHWEST SCHOOL WERE ENROLLED; DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM 478 RESPONDENTS. DESIGN: THE STUDY ASSESSED WILLINGNESS TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR 27 SYMPTOMS (IDENTIFIED IN THE LITERATURE AS HAVING EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S UTILITY), WHICH WERE SUBSEQUENTLY GROUPED INTO SKELETAL, PHYSICAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ON THE BASIS OF FACTOR ANALYSIS. RESPONSES WERE ASSESSED USING A MIXED-MODEL ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WITH HEALTH PROFESSION AND YOGA PRACTITIONER AS BETWEEN-SUBJECTS VARIABLES AND SYMPTOMS AS A WITHIN-SUBJECTS FACTOR. RESULTS: IN DESCENDING ORDER OF LIKELIHOOD TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA WERE STUDENTS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM, PSYCHOLOGY, PHYSICAL THERAPY, PHARMACY, DENTAL HYGIENE, SPEECH AND AUDIOLOGY, AND OPTOMETRY. ALL GROUPS PERCEIVED YOGA'S GREATEST UTILITY FOR SKELETAL SYMPTOMS, FOLLOWED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS. FINDINGS ALSO REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEVEL OF PERSONAL YOGA PRACTICE AND WILLINGNESS TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA. CONCLUSIONS: ALTHOUGH STUDENTS EXPRESSED SOME OPENNESS TO REFERRING PATIENTS TO YOGA, RATINGS OF APPROPRIATENESS WERE NOT ACCURATELY ALIGNED WITH EXTANT EVIDENCE BASE. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE SEEMED TO BE A SALIENT FACTOR FOR ACCEPTING YOGA AS A REFERRAL TARGET. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO MAKE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MORE AWARE OF THE MERITS OF YOGA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY THEMSELVES ARE YOGA PRACTITIONERS. 2015 3 348 27 ASSESSING THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA AMONG PATIENTS WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC PAIN ENROLLED IN A LICENSED OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAM. THERE IS A PRESSING NEED TO IDENTIFY NON-OPIOID, EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENTS TO ADDRESS THE HIGH PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC PAIN IN LICENSED OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAMS (OTP). YOGA IS AN EFFECTIVE PAIN COPING STRATEGY BUT IS NOT WIDELY USED BY OTP PATIENTS. FEW STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED UNDERLYING FACTORS RELATED TO POOR YOGA UTILIZATION IN THIS POPULATION. SEVENTY-ONE PARTICIPANTS WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC PAIN ENROLLED IN A HOSPITAL-BASED OTP COMPLETED AN ACCEPTABILITY SURVEY ASSESSING PAIN, CURRENT PAIN COPING STRATEGIES, PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE, WILLINGNESS TO TRY YOGA, AND BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA. PARTICIPANTS WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC PAIN WERE COMPARED, AS WERE PARTICIPANTS WITH AND WITHOUT PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE. THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PRIMARY STUDY VARIABLES IN THE CHRONIC PAIN GROUP WERE ALSO EXPLORED. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED USING OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS, MEDITATION, STRETCHING, AND EXERCISE TO MANAGE CHRONIC PAIN, BUT YOGA WAS NOT COMMONLY USED. PARTICIPANTS WITH PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE REPORTED HIGHER WILLINGNESS TO TRY YOGA AND MORE FAVORABLE BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA THAN PARTICIPANTS WITHOUT PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN WILLINGNESS TO TRY YOGA BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS WITH AND WITHOUT CHRONIC PAIN. AMONG PARTICIPANTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN, THERE WAS A POSITIVE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN TOTAL NUMBER OF PAIN COPING STRATEGIES USED AND WILLINGNESS TO TRY YOGA. THIS STUDY ADDS TO THE EXISTING LITERATURE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS INTO OTPS BY DEMONSTRATING THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER, INCLUDING THOSE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PAIN, AND ENCOURAGES ADDITIONAL RESEARCH EXPLORING IMPLEMENTATION. 2022 4 557 58 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN VETERANS. BACKGROUND: YOGA INTERVENTIONS CAN IMPROVE FUNCTION AND REDUCE PAIN IN PERSONS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP). OBJECTIVE: USING DATA FROM A RECENT TRIAL OF YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP, WE ANALYZED THE INCREMENTAL COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N=150) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER 2X WEEKLY, 60-MINUTE YOGA SESSIONS FOR 12 WEEKS, OR TO DELAYED TREATMENT (DT). OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED AT 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. QUALITY-ADJUSTED LIFE YEARS (QALYS) WERE MEASURED USING THE EQ-5D SCALE. A 30% IMPROVEMENT ON THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE (PRIMARY OUTCOME) SERVED AS AN ADDITIONAL EFFECTIVENESS MEASURE. INTERVENTION COSTS INCLUDING PERSONNEL, MATERIALS, AND TRANSPORTATION WERE TRACKED DURING THE STUDY. HEALTH CARE COSTS WERE OBTAINED FROM PATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS. HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION AND SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVES WERE EXAMINED WITH A 12-MONTH HORIZON. RESULTS: INCREMENTAL QALYS GAINED BY THE YOGA GROUP OVER 12 MONTHS WERE 0.043. INTERVENTION COSTS TO DELIVER YOGA WERE $307/PARTICIPANT. NEGLIGIBLE DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH CARE COSTS WERE FOUND BETWEEN GROUPS. FROM THE HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATION PERSPECTIVE, THE INCREMENTAL COST-EFFECTIVENESS RATIO TO PROVIDE YOGA WAS $4488/QALY. FROM THE SOCIETAL PERSPECTIVE, YOGA WAS "DOMINANT" PROVIDING BOTH HEALTH BENEFIT AND COST SAVINGS. PROBABILISTIC SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS INDICATES AN 89% CHANCE OF YOGA BEING COST-EFFECTIVE AT A WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY OF $50,000. A SCENARIO COMPARING THE COSTS OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY PRODUCE SIMILAR RESULTS AT A MUCH LOWER COST. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A COST-EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR REDUCING PAIN AND DISABILITY AMONG MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP. 2020 5 132 56 A PRAGMATIC MULTICENTERED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: ECONOMIC EVALUATION. STUDY DESIGN: MULTICENTERED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH QUALITY OF LIFE AND RESOURCE USE DATA COLLECTED. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA INTERVENTION PLUS USUAL CARE COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE ALONE FOR CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN AS AN EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR TREATING CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. HOWEVER, THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE ON ITS COST-EFFECTIVENESS. THE DATA ARE EXTRACTED FROM A PRAGMATIC, MULTICENTERED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL THAT HAS BEEN CONDUCTED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A 12-WEEK PROGRESSIVE PROGRAM OF YOGA PLUS USUAL CARE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. METHODS: WITH THIS TRIAL DATA, A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS DURING THE TIME PERIOD OF 12 MONTHS FROM BOTH PERSPECTIVES OF THE UK NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE AND THE SOCIETAL IS PRESENTED. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE IS AN INCREMENTAL COST PER QUALITY-ADJUSTED LIFE-YEAR (QALY). RESULTS: FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE U.K. NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE, YOGA INTERVENTION YIELDS AN INCREMENTAL COST-EFFECTIVENESS RATIO OF POUND13,606 PER QALY. GIVEN A WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR AN ADDITIONAL QALY OF POUND20,000, THE PROBABILITY OF YOGA INTERVENTION BEING COST-EFFECTIVE IS 72%. FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE SOCIETY, YOGA INTERVENTION IS A DOMINANT TREATMENT COMPARED WITH USUAL CARE ALONE. THIS RESULT IS SURROUNDED BY FEWER UNCERTAINTIES-THE PROBABILITY OF YOGA BEING COST-EFFECTIVE REACHES 95% AT A WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR AN ADDITIONAL QALY OF POUND20,000. SENSITIVE ANALYSES SUGGEST THE SAME RESULTS THAT YOGA INTERVENTION IS LIKELY TO BE COST-EFFECTIVE IN BOTH PERSPECTIVES. CONCLUSION: ON THE BASIS OF THIS TRIAL, 12 WEEKLY GROUP CLASSES OF SPECIALIZED YOGA ARE LIKELY TO BE A COST-EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR TREATING PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OR RECURRENT LOW BACK PAIN. 2012 6 1538 32 KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PRENATAL YOGA AMONG WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO EVALUATE ATTITUDES AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PRENATAL YOGA AND TO INVESTIGATE BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO YOGA PARTICIPATION IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL CARE IN AN ACADEMIC TERTIARY CARE CENTER. WE SURVEYED A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF WOMEN RECEIVING PRENATAL CARE THROUGH THE MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE PRACTICE AT BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL. WE CLASSIFIED PARTICIPANTS AS YOGA-EXPERIENCED OR YOGA-NAIVE DEPENDING ON SELF-REPORT. WE COMPARED DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS USING THE APPROPRIATE NONPARAMETRIC TESTS AND COMPARED BIVARIATE ODDS RATIOS FOR SURVEY RESULTS USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION. OF THE 100 RESPONDENTS, 53% HAD PRACTICED YOGA PREVIOUSLY. WOMEN WITH YOGA EXPERIENCE WERE OLDER (AGE 34.9 +/- 5.6 VS. 31.0 +/- 6.0 YEARS, P = 0.004), MORE LIKELY TO BE COLLEGE GRADUATES (94% VS. 68%, P = 0.002), AND MORE LIKELY TO BE WHITE (77% VS. 47%, P = 0.002) THAN WOMEN WITHOUT PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE. PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT THAT YOGA WAS SAFE DURING THEIR CURRENT PREGNANCY (ODDS RATIO 5.9, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 1.9-17.7). OF THE WOMEN SURVEYED, 56% AGREED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS. IN A MULTIVARIATE MODEL INCLUDING AGE, RACE, AND EDUCATION, PREVIOUS YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS THE ONLY SIGNIFICANT PREDICTOR ASSOCIATED WITH WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN PRENATAL YOGA CLASSES DURING CURRENT PREGNANCY (ODDS RATIO 3.1, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 1.1-8.6). PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE WAS THE STRONGEST PREDICTOR OF WILLINGNESS TO ATTEND A PRENATAL YOGA CLASS IN OUR POPULATION. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT WOMEN WITH HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM PRENATAL YOGA INTERVENTIONS BUT LACK PRIOR YOGA EXPERIENCE MAY NEED ADDITIONAL EDUCATION TO FACILITATE PARTICIPATION. 2020 7 2615 32 YOGA FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: PATIENTS' PERSPECTIVE. CONTEXT: YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION IS EMERGING AS AN EFFECTIVE ADD-ON THERAPY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, MANY BARRIERS MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR PATIENTS TO AVAIL YOGA THERAPY PROGRAMS. ONE OF THEM IS MOTIVATION FOR YOGA THERAPY. WAYS TO ADDRESS THE BARRIERS ARE CRITICAL TO EMPLOY YOGA AS A TREATMENT IN THIS POPULATION. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMS AT EXPLORING PATIENTS' WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY PROGRAMS ON OUT-PATIENT BASIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED ON 100 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS ATTENDING PSYCHIATRY OUT-PATIENT SERVICES OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 100 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS (MALE: FEMALE = 57:43; AGE: 35.8 +/- 9.2 YEARS) ATTENDING THE PSYCHIATRY OUT-PATIENT SERVICES OF A TERTIARY NEUROPSYCHIATRY HOSPITAL WERE ADMINISTERED A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: CHI-SQUARE TEST WAS USED FOR TESTING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PROPORTIONS. P < 0.05 WAS TAKEN TO BE SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: ABOUT 46% WERE AWARE THAT YOGA IS ALSO ONE OF THE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES USEFUL IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. 32% HAD TRIED YOGA IN THE PAST FOR SOME REASONS, BUT ONLY 31% OF THEM WERE CONTINUING YOGA; COMMONEST REASONS FOR NOT CONTINUING BEING LACK OF MOTIVATION (31%) AND INABILITY TO SPARE TIME (27.6%). HOWEVER, THE MAJORITY (88.5%) OF THEM WERE WILLING TO TAKE UP ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY ON OUT-PATIENT BASIS ALONG WITH THEIR REGULAR MEDICAL FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSIONS: IN SPITE OF THE LACK OF MOTIVATION TO PRACTICE YOGA, THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS WERE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY PROGRAMS IF GIVEN ON OUT-PATIENT BASIS ALONG WITH THEIR REGULAR CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL FOLLOW-UP. 2015 8 1431 31 IMPROVING ACCESS TO YOGA: BARRIERS TO AND MOTIVATORS FOR PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS GAINING MOMENTUM AS A POPULAR AND EVIDENCE-BASED, INTEGRATIVE HEALTH CARE AND SELF-CARE PRACTICE. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS ARE NOT PROPORTIONAL TO THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE GENERAL POPULATION, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO GENDER AND ETHNICITY. SEVERAL ACCESS BARRIERS HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED (EG, TIME, COST, AND ACCESS TO TEACHERS). NO STUDIES HAVE EXPLORED THE BARRIERS TO PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. THEIR PARTICIPATION IN YOGA IS DEEMED IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY ARE FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO WILL MAKE REFERRALS TO OTHER SERVICES. RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT PROVIDERS WHO PRACTICE YOGA REFER MORE PATIENTS TO YOGA. OBJECTIVE: TO INCREASE YOGA PRACTICE AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS, AN UNDERSTANDING MUST BE DEVELOPED OF FACTORS THAT INTERFERE WITH OR FACILITATE A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. THE CURRENT STUDY INTENDED TO IDENTIFY SUCH BARRIERS AND MOTIVATORS. DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS A SMALL POPULATION SURVEY. SETTING: THE SETTING WAS A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN THE NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES, INCLUDING STUDENTS IN 3 OF ITS COLLEGES AND 10 PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS. PARTICIPANTS: ALL STUDENTS (N = 1585) IN THE PROGRAMS OF THE 10 HEALTH PROFESSIONS RECEIVED E-MAIL REQUESTS FOR PARTICIPATION. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE ACCEPTABILITY OF YOGA SURVEY WAS DEVELOPED FOR PURPOSES OF A LARGER YOGA PERCEPTIONS STUDY AND IMPLEMENTED WITH HEALTH PROFESSIONS STUDENTS. PARTICIPANTS WERE SOLICITED VIA E-MAIL; THE SURVEY WAS ADMINISTERED ONLINE. THE CURRENT STUDY USED DATA FROM THAT SURVEY. RESULTS: OF THE 498 USABLE, COMPLETED SURVEYS (IE, A RESPONSE RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 30%), 478 WERE RELEVANT TO THE CURRENT STUDY. THE SAMPLE'S DEMOGRAPHICS--78% WOMEN AND 79% WHITE--DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE POPULATION'S DEMOGRAPHICS. THE FINDINGS REVEALED THE EXISTENCE OF COMMON BARRIERS THAT WERE RELATED TO (1) TIME; (2) COST; (3) LACK OF PRAGMATIC INFORMATION ABOUT ACCESS TO YOGA CLASSES AND TEACHERS; AND (4) STEREOTYPES RELATED TO FLEXIBILITY, ATHLETICISM, AND TYPICAL YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MOTIVATORS INCLUDED ATHLETICISM, HEALTH PROMOTION, AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AS WELL AS THE SEEKING OF PAIN RELIEF AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. A REFERRAL BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WAS THE LEAST-FREQUENTLY CITED MOTIVATOR. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR STRATEGIES THAT MAY HELP MOTIVATE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TOWARD A YOGA PRACTICE, BECAUSE HAVING DONE YOGA PERSONALLY MAY BE RELATED TO A WILLINGNESS TO PERCEIVE THE BENEFITS OF AND TO REFER PATIENTS TO YOGA AS A VIABLE INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR PATIENTS. IMPROVED ACCESS CAN BE DEVELOPED IN 3 WAYS: (1) INTEGRATION OF YOGA RESEARCH INTO HEALTH CURRICULA TO ACQUAINT CARE PROVIDERS WITH YOGA'S BENEFITS TO PATIENTS AND CARE GIVERS; (2) HAVE YOGA AVAILABLE AS CLOSE TO THE WORKPLACE AS POSSIBLE TO OBVIATE SOME OF THE LARGER ACCESS BARRIERS; AND (3) SOCIETALLY, PROJECT YOGA AS A HEALING ART AND SCIENCE, NOT SIMPLY AS A WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY OR ATHLETIC ENDEAVOR. 2015 9 1586 26 MEDICAL YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE SETTING-PERCEIVED STRESS AND WORK ABILITY-A FEASIBILITY STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF USING AN INTERVENTION OF MEDICAL YOGA IN THE WORKPLACE AND INVESTIGATED ITS EFFECTS ON PERCEIVED STRESS AND WORK ABILITY. DESIGN AND SETTING: THIS WAS A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT STUDY COMPARING A GROUP WHO RECEIVED MEDICAL YOGA (INTERVENTION GROUP, N=17), WITH A GROUP WAITING TO RECEIVE MEDICAL YOGA (CONTROL GROUP, N=15). INTERVENTION: MEDICAL YOGA IN NINE WEEKLY SESSIONS LED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR, AS WELL AS AN INSTRUCTION FILM TO BE FOLLOWED AT HOME TWICE WEEKLY. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FEASIBILITY WAS ASSESSED THROUGH RECRUITMENT, ELIGIBILITY, WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE, RESPONSE TO QUESTIONNAIRES AND ADHERENCE TO THE INTERVENTION PLAN. STRESS WAS MEASURED WITH THE PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE, WORK ABILITY WITH THE WORK ABILITY INDEX. RESULTS: CONVINCING UNIT MANAGERS TO LET THEIR EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATE IN THIS INTERVENTION WAS DIFFICULT. ELIGIBILITY WAS PERFECT, BUT ONLY 40% OF WORKERS WERE WILLING TO PARTICIPATE. THE SUBJECTS ADHERED TO A GREAT EXTENT TO THE INTERVENTION AND ANSWERED THE QUESTIONNAIRES SATISFACTORILY. REACHING TARGET INDIVIDUALS REQUIRES CAREFUL ATTENTION TO INFORMING PARTICIPANTS. THE INTERVENTION SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ON STRESS AND WORK ABILITY, THOUGH THE TWO MEASURES CORRELATED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER TIME. CONCLUSION: FACTORS LIMITING FEASIBILITY OF THIS WORKPLACE INTERVENTION WERE IDENTIFIED. WORK PLACE INTERVENTIONS MAY NEED TO BE SANCTIONED AT A HIGHER MANAGERIAL LEVEL. THE OPTIMAL TIME, LENGTH AND AVAILABILITY OF THE WORKPLACE INTERVENTION SHOULD BE EXPLORED FURTHER. KNOWLEDGE FROM THIS STUDY COULD BE USED AS A FOUNDATION WHEN PLANNING A LARGER SCALE STUDY. 2017 10 2596 39 YOGA FOR MILITARY VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. INTRODUCTION: CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IS PREVALENT, ESPECIALLY AMONG MILITARY VETERANS. MANY CLBP TREATMENT OPTIONS HAVE LIMITED BENEFITS AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY SIDE EFFECTS. MAJOR EFFORTS TO REDUCE OPIOID USE AND EMBRACE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL PAIN TREATMENTS HAVE RESULTED. RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY CLBP PATIENTS INDICATES THAT YOGA CAN IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HAS FEW SIDE EFFECTS. THE BENEFITS OF YOGA AMONG MILITARY VETERANS WERE EXAMINED. DESIGN: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR DELAYED YOGA TREATMENT IN 2013-2015. OUTCOMES WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 6 WEEKS, 12 WEEKS, AND 6 MONTHS. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES OCCURRED IN 2016. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP WERE RECRUITED FROM A MAJOR VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER IN CALIFORNIA. INTERVENTION: YOGA CLASSES (WITH HOME PRACTICE) WERE LED BY A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR TWICE WEEKLY FOR 12 WEEKS, AND CONSISTED PRIMARILY OF PHYSICAL POSTURES, MOVEMENT, AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES AFTER 12 WEEKS. PAIN INTENSITY WAS IDENTIFIED AS AN IMPORTANT SECONDARY OUTCOME. RESULTS: PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS WERE MEAN AGE 53 YEARS, 26% WERE FEMALE, 35% WERE UNEMPLOYED OR DISABLED, AND MEAN BACK PAIN DURATION WAS 15 YEARS. IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT 12 WEEKS, BUT YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD GREATER REDUCTIONS IN ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE SCORES THAN DELAYED TREATMENT PARTICIPANTS AT 6 MONTHS -2.48 (95% CI= -4.08, -0.87). YOGA PARTICIPANTS IMPROVED MORE ON PAIN INTENSITY AT 12 WEEKS AND AT 6 MONTHS. OPIOID MEDICATION USE DECLINED AMONG ALL PARTICIPANTS, BUT GROUP DIFFERENCES WERE NOT FOUND. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG VETERANS DESPITE EVIDENCE THEY HAD FEWER RESOURCES, WORSE HEALTH, AND MORE CHALLENGES ATTENDING YOGA SESSIONS THAN COMMUNITY SAMPLES STUDIED PREVIOUSLY. THE MAGNITUDE OF PAIN INTENSITY DECLINE WAS SMALL, BUT OCCURRED IN THE CONTEXT OF REDUCED OPIOID USE. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT WIDER IMPLEMENTATION OF YOGA PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THIS STUDY IS REGISTERED AT WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02524158. 2017 11 2638 33 YOGA FOR VETERANS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: DESIGN AND METHODS OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) AFFLICTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE, WITH PARTICULARLY HIGH PREVALENCE IN MILITARY VETERANS. MANY TREATMENT OPTIONS EXIST FOR CLBP, BUT MOST HAVE LIMITED EFFECTIVENESS AND SOME HAVE SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS. IN GENERAL POPULATIONS WITH CLBP, YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES WITH FEW SIDE EFFECTS. HOWEVER, YOGA HAS NOT BEEN ADEQUATELY STUDIED IN MILITARY VETERAN POPULATIONS. IN THE CURRENT PAPER WE WILL DESCRIBE THE DESIGN AND METHODS OF A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL AIMED AT EXAMINING WHETHER YOGA CAN EFFECTIVELY REDUCE DISABILITY AND PAIN IN US MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP. A TOTAL OF 144 US MILITARY VETERANS WITH CLBP WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER YOGA OR A DELAYED TREATMENT COMPARISON GROUP. THE YOGA INTERVENTION WILL CONSIST OF 2X WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES FOR 12WEEKS, COMPLEMENTED BY REGULAR HOME PRACTICE GUIDED BY A MANUAL. THE DELAYED TREATMENT GROUP WILL RECEIVE THE SAME INTERVENTION AFTER SIX MONTHS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME IS THE CHANGE IN BACK PAIN-RELATED DISABILITY MEASURED WITH THE ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE AT BASELINE AND 12-WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES INCLUDE PAIN INTENSITY, PAIN INTERFERENCE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, FATIGUE/ENERGY, QUALITY OF LIFE, SELF-EFFICACY, SLEEP QUALITY, AND MEDICATION USAGE. ADDITIONAL PROCESS AND/OR MEDIATIONAL FACTORS WILL BE MEASURED TO EXAMINE DOSE RESPONSE AND EFFECT MECHANISMS. ASSESSMENTS WILL BE CONDUCTED AT BASELINE, 6-WEEKS, 12-WEEKS, AND 6-MONTHS. ALL RANDOMIZED PARTICIPANTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSES. STUDY RESULTS WILL PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED EVIDENCE ON THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC MODALITY FOR THE TREATMENT OF CLBP IN US MILITARY VETERANS. 2016 12 1183 29 EVALUATION OF YOGA FOR PREVENTING ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE RISK FACTORS IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL SETTING: A PRELIMINARY GROUP-RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. ADOLESCENCE IS A KEY DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD FOR PREVENTING SUBSTANCE USE INITIATION, HOWEVER PREVENTION PROGRAMS SOLELY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANGERS OF SUBSTANCE USE RARELY CHANGE ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE BEHAVIORS. RECENT RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT MIND-BODY PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON SEVERAL SUBSTANCE USE RISK FACTORS, AND THAT THESE PRACTICES MAY SERVE AS PROMISING INTERVENTIONS FOR PREVENTING ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA FOR REDUCING SUBSTANCE USE RISK FACTORS DURING EARLY ADOLESCENCE. SEVENTH-GRADE STUDENTS IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED BY CLASSROOM TO RECEIVE EITHER A 32-SESSION YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 117) IN PLACE OF THEIR REGULAR PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES OR TO CONTINUE WITH PHYSICAL-EDUCATION-AS-USUAL (N = 94). PARTICIPANTS (63.2 % FEMALE; 53.6 % WHITE) COMPLETED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING EMOTIONAL SELF-REGULATION, PERCEIVED STRESS, MOOD IMPAIRMENT, IMPULSIVITY, SUBSTANCE USE WILLINGNESS, AND ACTUAL SUBSTANCE USE. PARTICIPANTS ALSO COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES AT 6-MONTHS AND 1-YEAR POST-INTERVENTION. RESULTS REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL CONDITION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE WILLING TO TRY SMOKING CIGARETTES IMMEDIATELY POST-INTERVENTION THAN PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA CONDITION. IMMEDIATE PRE- TO POST-INTERVENTION DIFFERENCES DID NOT EMERGE FOR THE REMAINING OUTCOMES. HOWEVER, LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP ANALYSES REVEALED A PATTERN OF DELAYED EFFECTS IN WHICH FEMALES IN THE YOGA CONDITION, AND MALES IN THE CONTROL CONDITION, DEMONSTRATED IMPROVEMENTS IN EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT SCHOOL-BASED YOGA MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS WITH REGARD TO PREVENTING MALES' AND FEMALES' WILLINGNESS TO SMOKE CIGARETTES, AS WELL AS IMPROVING EMOTIONAL SELF-CONTROL IN FEMALES. HOWEVER ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS REQUIRED, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO THE POTENTIAL LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS IN SCHOOL SETTINGS. THE PRESENT STUDY CONTRIBUTES TO THE LITERATURE ON ADOLESCENCE BY EXAMINING SCHOOL-BASED YOGA AS A NOVEL PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR SUBSTANCE USE RISK FACTORS. 2017 13 151 31 A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION TO INFORM YOGA INTERVENTION RECRUITMENT PRACTICES FOR RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY ADOLESCENTS IN OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT. OBJECTIVE: YOGA IS RECOGNIZED AS AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO IMPROVING OVERALL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH; HOWEVER, THERE MAY BE PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO YOGA PARTICIPATION, PARTICULARLY AMONG POPULATIONS MOST AT RISK FOR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. WE CONDUCTED QUALITATIVE FORMATIVE RESEARCH TO HELP INFORM RECRUITMENT PRACTICES FOR A FUTURE STUDY AND TO SPECIFICALLY UNDERSTAND THE BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS TO ENGAGEMENT IN YOGA PRACTICE AMONG RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY ADOLESCENTS, AS WELL AS ADOLESCENTS IN OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT. METHODS: QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED AT A COMMUNITY HEALTH CLINIC THAT SERVES LOW INCOME FAMILIES IN SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA. USING SEMI STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WITH RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITY ADOLESCENTS BETWEEN 12 AND 17 YEARS OLD, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED ABOUT BELIEFS AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT YOGA, AS WELL AS RECOMMENDATIONS ON RECRUITING PEERS. A THEMATIC ANALYSIS APPROACH WAS USED TO IDENTIFY AND EXAMINE COMMON THEMES. RESULTS: TWENTY INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED AND EIGHT MAJOR THEMES EMERGED FROM THE DATA. THEMES WERE GROUPED AS (1) FACILITATORS TO RECRUITMENT AND (2) BARRIERS TO RECRUITMENT. INTERPRETATION: ADVERTISING FREE YOGA THAT EMPHASIZES THE SOCIAL, PHYSICAL, AND MENTAL BENEFITS CAN HELP ASSUAGE NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA AND PROMOTE THE ADVANTAGES OF YOGA AMONG TEENAGERS. HAVING RECRUITMENT MATERIALS AND MODALITIES THAT HIGHLIGHT INCLUSIVITY OF ALL GENDERS AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN THE YOGA CLASSES ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN FACILITATING PARTICIPATION. UNDERSTANDING PERCEPTIONS OF YOGA, AS WELL AS PERCEIVED BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS, AMONG RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE ADOLESCENTS IN OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT, CAN ASSIST RECRUITMENT EFFORTS, INCREASE YOGA INTERVENTION PARTICIPATION, AND ULTIMATELY, IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. 2020 14 2506 27 YOGA ATTITUDES IN CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: ROLES OF CATASTROPHIZING AND FEAR OF MOVEMENT. CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IS A SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND, ALTHOUGH UNDERUSED, YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT. THE CURRENT STUDY EXAMINED ASSOCIATIONS OF PAIN CATASTROPHIZING AND FEAR OF MOVEMENT WITH ATTITUDES TOWARD YOGA IN ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THREE QUANTITATIVE QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING SPECIFIC CONSTRUCTS: BELIEFS ABOUT YOGA, FEAR OF MOVEMENT, AND PAIN CATASTROPHIZING. A SEMI-STRUCTURED IN-PERSON INTERVIEW WAS THEN CONDUCTED TO OBTAIN SPECIFIC PAIN-RELATED INFORMATION. HIERARCHICAL REGRESSION AND MEDIATIONAL ANALYSES WERE USED TO TEST HYPOTHESES. CONSISTENT WITH THE FEAR-AVOIDANCE MODEL OF CHRONIC PAIN, CATASTROPHIZING AND FEAR OF MOVEMENT WERE NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA ATTITUDES. SPECIFICALLY, FEAR OF MOVEMENT WAS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN CATASTROPHIZING AND ATTITUDES TOWARD YOGA. INDIVIDUALS WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF CATASTROPHIZING AND FEAR OF MOVEMENT MAY BE LESS LIKELY TO CONSIDER A PAIN TREATMENT INVOLVING PHYSICAL MOVEMENT. 2015 15 1224 34 FEASIBILITY AND ASSESSMENT OF OUTCOME MEASURES FOR YOGA AS SELF-CARE FOR MINORITIES WITH ARTHRITIS: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: WHILE THERE IS A GROWING INTEREST IN THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF YOGA, MINORITY POPULATIONS WITH ARTHRITIS TEND TO BE UNDER-REPRESENTED IN THE RESEARCH. ADDITIONALLY, THERE IS AN ABSENCE OF GUIDANCE IN THE LITERATURE REGARDING THE USE OF MULTICULTURAL TEAMS AND SOCIOCULTURAL HEALTH BELIEFS, WHEN DESIGNING YOGA STUDIES FOR A RACIALLY DIVERSE POPULATION WITH ARTHRITIS. THIS PILOT STUDY EXAMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF OFFERING YOGA AS A SELF-CARE MODALITY TO AN URBAN, BILINGUAL, MINORITY POPULATION WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) OR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA), IN THE WASHINGTON, DC AREA. METHODS: THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY OF OFFERING AN 8-WEEK, BILINGUAL YOGA INTERVENTION ADAPTED FOR ARTHRITIS TO A CONVENIENCE SAMPLE OF PRIMARILY HISPANIC AND BLACK/AFRICAN-AMERICAN ADULTS. A RACIALLY DIVERSE INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM WAS ASSEMBLED TO DESIGN A STUDY TO FACILITATE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE IDENTIFIED OUTCOME MEASURES TO OPERATIONALIZE POTENTIAL FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS TO SELF-CARE AND SELF-EFFICACY. THE THIRD OBJECTIVE DETERMINED THE FEASIBILITY OF USING COMPUTER-ASSISTED SELF-INTERVIEW (CASI) FOR DATA COLLECTION. RESULTS: ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS (N = 30) WERE MOSTLY FEMALE (93%), SPANISH SPEAKING (69%), AND DIAGNOSED WITH RA (88.5%). FEASIBILITY WAS EVALUATED USING PRACTICALITY, ACCEPTABILITY, ADAPTATION, AND EXPANSION OF AN ARTHRITIS-ADAPTED YOGA INTERVENTION, MODIFIED FOR THIS POPULATION. RECRUITMENT (51%) AND PARTICIPATION (60%) RATES WERE SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS RESEARCH AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE STUDY POPULATION. OF THOSE ENROLLED, 18 STARTED THE INTERVENTION. FOR ADHERENCE, 12 OUT OF 18 (67%) PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. ALL (100%), WHO COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION, CONTINUED TO PRACTICE YOGA 3 MONTHS AFTER COMPLETING THE STUDY. USING NONPARAMETRIC TESTS, SELECTED OUTCOME MEASURES SHOWED A MEASURABLE CHANGE POST-INTERVENTION SUGGESTING APPROPRIATE USE IN FUTURE STUDIES. AN IN-PERSON COMPUTERIZED QUESTIONNAIRE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FEASIBLE METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS FROM THIS PILOT STUDY CONFIRM THE FEASIBILITY OF OFFERING YOGA TO THIS RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE POPULATION WITH ARTHRITIS. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES RECRUITMENT/RETENTION RATES, OUTCOME MEASURES WITH ERROR RATES, AND DATA COLLECTION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PREVIOUSLY UNDER-REPRESENTED POPULATION. SUGGESTIONS INCLUDE ALLOCATING RESOURCES FOR TRANSLATION AND USING A MULTICULTURAL DESIGN TO FACILITATE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, NCT01617421. 2018 16 20 27 "WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER": A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITY PARTICIPANTS IN A YOGA TRIAL FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. OBJECTIVE: TO EXPLORE THE EXPERIENCES OF LOW-INCOME MINORITY ADULTS TAKING PART IN A YOGA DOSING TRIAL FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. DESIGN: INDIVIDUAL SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH NINETEEN PARTICIPANTS RECRUITED FROM A RANDOMIZED YOGA DOSING TRIAL FOR PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. INTERVIEWS DISCUSSED THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON LOW BACK PAIN AND EMOTIONS; OTHER PERCEIVED ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES OF THE INTERVENTION; AND FACILITATORS AND BARRIERS TO PRACTICING YOGA. INTERVIEWS WERE AUDIO TAPED AND TRANSCRIBED, CODED USING ATLAS.TI SOFTWARE, AND ANALYZED WITH INDUCTIVE AND DEDUCTIVE THEMATIC ANALYSIS METHODS. SETTING: BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER, BOSTON, MA, USA. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS VIEWED YOGA AS A MEANS OF PAIN RELIEF AND ATTRIBUTED IMPROVED MOOD, GREATER ABILITY TO MANAGE STRESS, AND ENHANCED RELAXATION TO YOGA. OVERALL, PARTICIPANTS FELT EMPOWERED TO SELF-MANAGE THEIR PAIN. SOME FOUND YOGA TO BE HELPFUL IN BEING MINDFUL OF THEIR EMOTIONS AND ACCEPTING OF THEIR PAIN. TRUST IN THE YOGA INSTRUCTORS WAS A COMMONLY CITED FACILITATOR FOR YOGA CLASS ATTENDANCE. LACK OF TIME, MOTIVATION, AND FEAR OF INJURY WERE REPORTED BARRIERS TO YOGA PRACTICE. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IS A MULTIDIMENSIONAL TREATMENT FOR LOW BACK PAIN THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO FAVORABLY IMPACT HEALTH IN A PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME MINORITY POPULATION. 2016 17 1566 16 LOW BACK PAIN AND YOGA. ABSTRACT QUESTIONS FROM PATIENTS ABOUT PAIN CONDITIONS AND ANALGESIC PHARMACOTHERAPY AND RESPONSES FROM AUTHORS ARE PRESENTED TO HELP EDUCATE PATIENTS AND MAKE THEM MORE EFFECTIVE SELF-ADVOCATES. THE TOPIC ADDRESSED IN THIS ISSUE IS CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, ONE OF THE MOST COMMON REASONS TO VISIT ONE'S PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR. COMPLEMENTARY APPROACHES, INCLUDING YOGA, WILL BE ADDRESSED. 2014 18 1291 28 GROUP ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY WITH YOGA THERAPY FOR CHRONIC NECK, LOW BACK, AND OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN IN SAFETY NET SETTING FOR AN UNDERSERVED POPULATION: DESIGN AND RATIONALE FOR A FEASIBILITY PILOT. CHRONIC PAIN IS PREVALENT IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH IMPACT ON PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING AS WELL AS LOST WORK PRODUCTIVITY. MINORITY AND LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC POPULATIONS HAVE INCREASED PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC PAIN WITH LESS ACCESS TO PAIN CARE, POORER OUTCOMES, AND HIGHER RISK OF FATAL OPIOID OVERDOSE. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY IS EFFECTIVE IN TREATING CHRONIC PAIN CONDITIONS INCLUDING CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN, NECK PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN, AND KNEE PAIN FROM OSTEOARTHRITIS. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY, INCLUDING GROUP ACUPUNCTURE, IS FEASIBLE AND EFFECTIVE, AND SPECIFICALLY SO FOR UNDERSERVED AND DIVERSE POPULATIONS AT RISK FOR HEALTH OUTCOME DISPARITIES. ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY ALSO ENCOURAGES PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVATION. AS CHRONIC PAIN IMPROVES, THERE IS A NATURAL PROGRESSION TO WANT AND NEED TO INCREASE ACTIVITY AND MOVEMENT RECOVERY. DIVERSE MOVEMENT APPROACHES ARE IMPORTANT FOR IMPROVING RANGE OF MOTION, MAINTAINING GAINS, STRENGTHENING, AND PROMOTING PATIENT ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVATION. YOGA THERAPY IS AN ACTIVE THERAPY WITH PROVEN BENEFIT IN MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN DISORDERS AND PAIN ASSOCIATED DISABILITY. THE AIM OF THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL PILOT FEASIBILITY TRIAL IS TO TEST THE BUNDLING OF THESE 2 EFFECTIVE CARE OPTIONS FOR CHRONIC PAIN, TO INFORM BOTH THE DESIGN FOR A LARGER RANDOMIZED PRAGMATIC EFFECTIVENESS TRIAL AS WELL AS IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES ACROSS UNDERSERVED SETTINGS. 2020 19 2350 28 USING YOGA NIDRA RECORDINGS FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE THE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY YOGA NIDRA AND RELAXATION MUSIC FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY. A QUASIEXPERIMENTAL DESIGN WAS USED. METHODS: IN TOTAL, 144 PATIENTS WHO WERE SCHEDULED TO UNDERGO COLONOSCOPY WERE ASSIGNED TO THREE DIFFERENT TREATMENT GROUPS. GROUP 1 WAS A NO TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP, GROUP 2 WAS DELIVERED RELAXING MUSIC, AND GROUP 3 WAS DELIVERED A YOGA NIDRA RECORDING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS PAIN SCORE. SECONDARY TREATMENT EFFICACY MEASURES WERE AN OVERALL PATIENT SATISFACTION SCORE, A WILLINGNESS TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE SCORE, AND A PERCEIVED COLONOSCOPE INSERTION DIFFICULTY SCORE. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE TREATMENT EFFECT MEASURES WERE SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE AND TOTAL PROCEDURE DURATION. RESULTS: THE PATIENTS' PERCEPTIONS OF PAIN AND THE ENDOSCOPIST'S PERCEIVED COLONOSCOPE INSERTION DIFFICULTY WERE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY BOTH THE MUSIC AND THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05). OVERALL PATIENT SATISFACTION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED BY BOTH THE MUSIC AND THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05). PATIENTS' WILLINGNESS TO REPEAT THE PROCEDURE AND THE TOTAL PROCEDURE DURATION WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AND REDUCED, RESPECTIVELY, BY THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING (P < .05), BUT THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES COMPARED TO THE MUSIC GROUP. THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG THE THREE GROUPS IN TERMS OF BLOOD PRESSURE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING AND THE RELAXATION MUSIC HELPED REDUCE THE PAIN PARTICIPANTS UNDERGOING COLONOSCOPY EXPERIENCED. THE YOGA NIDRA RECORDING WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION AMONG THE THREE GROUPS. 2019 20 1903 30 RESULTS FROM A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM FOR VETERANS: YOGA VIA TELEHEALTH PROVIDES COMPARABLE SATISFACTION AND HEALTH IMPROVEMENTS TO IN-PERSON YOGA. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS INCREASINGLY POPULAR, THOUGH LITTLE DATA REGARDING ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS IS AVAILABLE. SIMILARLY, TELEHEALTH IS BEING UTILIZED MORE FREQUENTLY TO INCREASE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE; HOWEVER WE KNOW OF NO RESEARCH ON THE ACCEPTABILITY OR EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA DELIVERED THROUGH TELEHEALTH. THEREFORE, WE EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY, AND PATIENT-REPORTED EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM AT A VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER AND ASSESSED WHETHER THESE OUTCOMES DIFFERED BETWEEN THOSE PARTICIPATING IN-PERSON AND THOSE PARTICIPATING VIA TELEHEALTH. METHODS: VETERANS WHO ATTENDED A YOGA CLASS AT THE VA PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WERE INVITED TO COMPLETE AN ANONYMOUS PROGRAM EVALUATION SURVEY. RESULTS: 64 VETERANS COMPLETED THE SURVEY. PARTICIPANTS REPORTED HIGH SATISFACTION WITH THE CLASSES AND THE INSTRUCTORS. MORE THAN 80% OF PARTICIPANTS WHO ENDORSED A PROBLEM WITH PAIN, ENERGY LEVEL, DEPRESSION, OR ANXIETY REPORTED IMPROVEMENT IN THESE SYMPTOMS. THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED VIA TELEHEALTH DID NOT DIFFER FROM THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED IN-PERSON IN ANY MEASURE OF SATISFACTION, OVERALL IMPROVEMENT (P = .40), OR IMPROVEMENT IN ANY OF 16 SPECIFIC HEALTH PROBLEMS. CONCLUSIONS: DELIVERING YOGA TO A WIDE RANGE OF PATIENTS WITHIN A HEALTHCARE SETTING APPEARS TO BE FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE, BOTH WHEN DELIVERED IN-PERSON AND VIA TELEHEALTH. PATIENTS IN THIS CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM REPORTED HIGH LEVELS OF SATISFACTION AND IMPROVEMENT IN MULTIPLE PROBLEM AREAS. THIS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLINICAL YOGA PROGRAM COMPLEMENTS PRIOR EVIDENCE FOR THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AND SUPPORTS THE USE OF YOGA IN HEALTHCARE SETTINGS. 2017