Adapted Yoga for Inactive Older Adults

September 20, 2016 updated by: Garry Tew, Northumbria University

A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Investigating the Effects of a 10-week Yoga Intervention on Physical Function and Health-related Quality of Life in Physically-inactive Older Adults

There is evidence that yoga has beneficial effects on several aspects of physical and mental health. However, few studies have explored the acceptability and health effects of yoga in older adults. This preliminary study will explore the effects of a 10-week yoga intervention on physical function and quality of life in older adults. Data collected in this study will be used to inform the design of a subsequent adequately-powered randomised controlled trial.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Older adults (i.e. aged ≥60 years) who are physically inactive are at increased risk of falls, functional limitations, disability, and mental health problems. Encouragingly, there is evidence that various physical activity interventions can elicit meaningful improvements in physical function and health-related quality of life in older people. Effective programmes have included aerobic exercise, progressive resistance training and Tai Chi. Yoga is an alternative approach to improving fitness and health outcomes in older adults. The benefits of yoga may be greater than those of exercise alone because yoga offers a combination of physical exercise with mental focus, and participants are taught good posture, self-awareness, and self-care along with relaxation. Indeed, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis that included 16 studies (n=649) concluded that yoga may provide greater improvements in physical functioning and self-reported health status than conventional physical activity interventions in elderly people. However, the previous studies had limitations, including small sample sizes, a single yoga teacher delivering the programme, and short-term follow-up. Furthermore, none of the included studies had been conducted in the United Kingdom. Many different schools of hatha yoga exist in the West, such as Iyengar, Sivananda, Viniyoga, Bikram (Hot Yoga), and it is likely that some of these forms are more acceptable and effective than others in elderly people, many of whom present with multiple morbidities. Gentle Years Yoga© is a yoga programme which was developed in North Yorkshire, England by the British Wheel of Yoga 'Approved Centre' Yorkshire Yoga in 2009 to cater specifically for the needs of older people with age-related conditions such as osteoarthritis, arthroplasty, dementia, sensory impairment. To date, only anecdotal evidence exists regarding the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of this programme; therefore, further research is warranted. Here, we are proposing to conduct a two-arm, parallel-group, pilot randomised controlled trial in physically inactive adults aged ≥60 years, the aims of which are to: (i) inform the design of, and assess the feasibility of conducting, a definitive randomised controlled trial, and; (ii) explore the acceptability, safety and potential benefits of the Gentle Years Yoga© programme in this specific population.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

52

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • North Yorkshire
      • Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom, HG5 0TG
        • Yorkshire Yoga & Therapy Centre

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

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Age ≥60 years Able to provide written informed consent and complete the study questionnaires Able to travel to a study centre for assessment visits and yoga sessions

Exclusion Criteria:

Absolute contraindications to exercise testing and training as defined by the American College of Sports Medicine Planned major surgery within 3 months of the proposed baseline assessment date Current participation in >90 min/week of purposeful exercise, such as jogging or swimming Participation in another clinical trial for with concurrent participation is deemed inappropriate

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Yoga intervention group
10 weekly 75-min sessions of specialised yoga plus written advice about physical activity for older adults
Other: Yoga
10 weekly 75-min sessions of specialised yoga
Behavioral: Written advice
Written advice about physical activity
Active Comparator: Waiting list control group
Usual care plus written advice about physical activity for older adults
Behavioral: Written advice
Written advice about physical activity

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Short Performance Physical Battery
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
EQ-5D-5L
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
Back scratch test of upper-body flexibility
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months
Chair sit-and-reach test of lower-body flexibility
Time Frame: 3 months
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Northumbria University

Collaborators

Yorkshire Yoga & Therapy Centre
The British Wheel of Yoga
Big Lottery Fund - Awards for All

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Garry A Tew, PhD, Northumbria University

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

February 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 21, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 21, 2016

First Posted (Estimate)

January 26, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 21, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 20, 2016

Last Verified

September 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HLSGT180116

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Undecided

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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