A pilot study of yoga as self-care for arthritis in minority communities

Abstract

BackgroundWhile arthritis is the most common cause of disability, non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics experience worse arthritis impact despite having the same or lower prevalence of arthritis compared to non-Hispanic whites. People with arthritis who exercise regularly have less pain, more energy, and improved sleep, yet arthritis is one of the most common reasons for limiting physical activity. Mind-body interventions, such as yoga, that teach stress management along with physical activity may be well suited for investigation in both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Yoga users are predominantly white, female, and college educated. There are few studies that examine yoga in minority populations; none address arthritis. This paper presents a study protocol examining the feasibility and acceptability of providing yoga to an urban, minority population with arthritis.Methods/designIn this ongoing pilot study, a convenience sample of 20 minority adults diagnosed with either osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis undergo an 8-week program of yoga classes. It is believed that by attending yoga classes designed for patients with arthritis, with racially concordant instructors; acceptability of yoga as an adjunct to standard arthritis treatment and self-care will be enhanced. Self-care is defined as adopting behaviors that improve physical and mental well-being. This concept is quantified through collecting patient-reported outcome measures related to spiritual growth, health responsibility, interpersonal relations, and stress management. Additional measures collected during this study include: physical function, anxiety/depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, social roles, and pain; as well as baseline demographic and clinical data. Field notes, quantitative and qualitative data regarding feasibility and acceptability are also collected. Acceptability is determined by response/retention rates, positive qualitative data, and continuing yoga practice after three months.DiscussionThere are a number of challenges in recruiting and retaining participants from a community clinic serving minority populations. Adopting behaviors that improve well-being and quality of life include those that integrate mental health (mind) and physical health (body). Few studies have examined offering integrative modalities to this population. This pilot was undertaken to quantify measures of feasibility and acceptability that will be useful when evaluating future plans for expanding the study of yoga in urban, minority populations with arthritis.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01617421

Reabilitação cinesioterapêutica em um homem com artrite reumatoide

“…O que pode ser explicado pelos benefícios ofertados pela atividade física regular para os indivíduos com AR, como a redução da dor, a melhora das condições gerais de vida, da qualidade do sono, das condições energéticas e do desempenho funcional, especialmente a longo prazo. 22 Os resultados evidenciados neste estudo concordam com outros achados na literatura. Myra et al (2015) realizaram um estudo de caso com um indivíduo do gênero feminino com AR associada ao lúpus eritematoso sistêmico, onde o submeteram a 15 sessões de cinesioterapia, duas vezes por semana.…”

Yoga Research and Spirituality: A Case Study Discussion

“…While the reasons are not clearly documented, yoga may be less accessible and/or less acceptable to those from minority backgrounds (Middleton et al, 2013). However, the lack of minority participation in research is a historically documented phenomenon (Hussain Gambles, 2003; Ojha, 2008; Shavers Hornaday, Lynch, Burmeister, & Torner, 1997; Wendler et al, 2006).…”

“…However, the lack of minority participation in research is a historically documented phenomenon (Hussain Gambles, 2003; Ojha, 2008; Shavers Hornaday, Lynch, Burmeister, & Torner, 1997; Wendler et al, 2006). This pilot yoga study was designed specifically to examine the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting English- and Spanish-speaking minority patients receiving rheumatology care from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Health Clinic located in the Washington, DC area (Middleton et al, 2013). A previous Health Behaviors and Health Beliefs study conducted within the same clinic population showed only 4.6% were using yoga for their arthritis symptoms (Middleton et al, 2013; Wallen et al, 2012).…”

“…This pilot yoga study was designed specifically to examine the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting English- and Spanish-speaking minority patients receiving rheumatology care from a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Community Health Clinic located in the Washington, DC area (Middleton et al, 2013). A previous Health Behaviors and Health Beliefs study conducted within the same clinic population showed only 4.6% were using yoga for their arthritis symptoms (Middleton et al, 2013; Wallen et al, 2012). Ironically, this previous study showed that 52% reported using spiritual/mind-body modalities such as prayer, drawing upon religious or spiritual beliefs, and attending religious services (Wallen & Brooks, 2012).…”

“…Within this paper, we share a participant's decision to withdraw from an ongoing pilot study, Yoga as Self-Care for Arthritis in Minority Communities (Middleton et al, 2013), and the reverberating discussions that followed.…”