Yoga to Prevent Mobility Limitations in Older Adults

October 17, 2019 updated by: Erik Groessl, University of California, San Diego

Yoga to Prevent Mobility Limitations in Older Adults: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

The loss of mobility during aging impacts independence and leads to further disability, morbidity, and reduced life expectancy. The study objective was to examine the feasibility and safety of conducting a randomized controlled trial of yoga for older adults at risk for mobility limitations. The investigators hypothesized that sedentary older adults could be recruited for the study, would attend either yoga or a health education control, would complete assessments, and that the interventions could be safely delivered.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
46

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years to 89 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • age 60-89 years
  • self-reported sedentary lifestyle (not exercising in the past 3 months; included walking at a brisk pace or regular walking for exercise purposes)
  • SPPB summary score > 3 and ≤ 8
  • willingness attend either yoga or health education for 10 weeks
  • willing to complete two assessments
  • residence in San Diego metropolitan area
  • provided a physician-signed health clearance form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • practiced yoga > 2x in the last year
  • life expectancy < 12 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Yoga
The yoga intervention consisted of 2x weekly 60-minute sessions for 10 weeks. Yoga consists of postures, breathing exercises, movement, and meditation/concentration..
Behavioral: Yoga Intervention
The 60-minute yoga sessions began with a brief breathing practice led by the instructor. The yoga instructor then led students through yoga poses at a gentle pace using chairs as props as needed. The pace of the class increased slowly over time as students became more familiar and more capable with the poses. Meditation and breathing was followed by chair poses (15-20 minutes), standing poses (10-15 minutes), floor poses (15 minutes), and lastly a supine resting pose (Savasana; 10 minutes). In the Silver Age Yoga method at that time, there were 73 available postures overall including: 35 Chair Postures, 18 Standing Postures, 20 Floor Postures, with a typical class covering 20-25 poses.
Active Comparator: Health Education
The health education comparison intervention consisted of once weekly, 90-minute health information workshops conducted in group format. Sessions generally consisted of a 60-minute lecture followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussion.
Behavioral: Healthy Aging Education
The health education comparison intervention consisted of once weekly, 90-minute health information workshops conducted in group format. The 90-minute sessions generally consisted of a 60-minute lecture followed by 30 minutes of questions and discussion. The lecture titles for Weeks 1-10 were as follows: Introduction/ Exploring Communication, The Science of Successful Aging, Acupuncture 101: How it Works & What it is Good for, Quality of Life/Quality of Well Being, Fighting Cancer With Your Fork, Forgiveness via Shakespeare's: A Winter's Tale, Better Eyesight in Minutes a Day, Brain Fitness, The Importance of Organic Foods/ Organic Gardening, How Dementia Can Be Modified. Lectures were provided by a mix of credentialed experts (physicians/psychologists, etc) and other clinicians. Instructors were asked not to talk about yoga or medication in their lectures. Content was not otherwise closely monitored.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
Time Frame: Change in SPPB from baseline to 10 weeks
The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) measures time to walk four meters; time to five chair stands; and balance, with higher scores being associated with decreased disability and mortality. These 3 components are rated on a scale from 0-4 and they are summed to provide a total SPPB score ranging from 0-12.
Change in SPPB from baseline to 10 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Step Up and Over (SUO)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
The Step Up and Over (SUO) test measures gait quality as it may influence negotiating curbs, climbing or descending stairs, and predicting fall risk. The lift index quantifies the maximum lifting force exerted by the leading leg expressed as a percentage of the individual's weight as measured by the force plate, with scores closer to 100% demonstrating greater force.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Rhythmic Weight Shift (RWS)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Rhythmic Weight Shift (RWS) measures participant ability to rhythmically move between two targets at different speeds. The On-Axis Velocity is the speed of the COG displacement in degrees per second during on-axis movement between the test target(s), with greater velocity indicating faster movement through the region of stability
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Sensory Organization Test (SOT) Vestibular
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
The SOT assesses the sensory components of balance by measuring postural sway balance in different conditions as a useful predictor of fall risk. The ratio score indicates ability to maintain balance in the presence of inaccurate visual cues. Scores are represented as a percentage from 0 to 100, with scores closer to 100 indicating greater stability.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Limits of Stability (LOS)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
The LOS is used to define a participant's "cone of stability" and measures components of balance and stability related to reaction time, directional control, and the ability to make corrective movements. Movement velocity indicates the speed of center of gravity (COG) displacement in degrees per second, with higher values signifying quicker movement through the region of stability.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Grip Strength
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Grip Strength was assessed with an adjustable, hydraulic grip strength dynamometer.(26) The measure uses the average of two trials for both the left and right hand.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
SF-36
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
The SF-36 has 36 items and takes about 8-10 minutes to complete. The scale measure domains of health-related quality of life and two summary scores corresponding to physical and mental health. Scores for each subscale are standardized and range from 0-100 with higher scores representing better quality of life.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Depression was assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D 10). Scores can range from 0-30 with higher scores indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Brief Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Anxiety was assessed using the Brief Anxiety Inventory (BAI). The self-administered BAI consists of 21 items, and has well-established reliability(29) and validity. Scores can range from 0-63 with higher scores indicating greater levels of anxiety.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The measure has 21 items and scores can range from 0-21 with higher scores indicating lower sleep quality.
Change from baseline to 10 weeks
Participant Satisfaction
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Participant Satisfaction with participation was rated on a 0-10 scale (10 = most positive) usingquestions about enjoyment with and benefits of participation.
10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of California, San Diego

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 6, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 2, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 30, 2014

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 18, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 31, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 4, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 21, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 17, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 130472

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

IPD Plan Description

Data is still being analyzed.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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