TY - JOUR
T1 - The impact of yoga in medically underserved populations
T2 - A mixed-methods study
AU - Moscoso, Dagmara I.
AU - Goese, David
AU - Van Hyfte, Gregory J.
AU - Mayer, Zelda
AU - Cain, Loretta
AU - Kobiernicki, Frances
AU - Cano-Garcia, Angela
AU - Unzueta, Crystal
AU - Ormaza, L. Tatiana
AU - Jones, Kohar
N1 - Funding Information:
This project was supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health through Grant Number UL1 TR000430 and by an American Medical Association pass-through grant awarded by the Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows Program in 2013.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/4
Y1 - 2019/4
N2 - Objectives: We evaluated the acceptability, access, and impact of yoga among participants in yoga classes co-located in community health centers. Design: Participants were invited to complete a mixed-methods program evaluation consisting of a pre/post survey at their first class and structured interviews at 4 months. Setting: The study took place at two community health centers on the South Side of Chicago, IL, USA. Interventions: Four weekly 1–1.5 hour yoga classes were provided by four certified yoga instructors trained to teach to all ability levels. Measures: Our primary outcome measures were pain and stress before and after the first class, and at 4-months. We gathered data about participant demographics, their health problems, how they accessed the classes, and motivations and barriers to attending. We also extracted themes from participants’ qualitative feedback about their experiences. Results: Overall, 70 participants completed the initial surveys; 44 completed the 4-month interviews. A racially and ethnically diverse group of middle- and low-income adult patients and community members attended, with flyers and word of mouth the major routes to the class. A single yoga class provided statistically significant decreases in pain and stress, but these benefits were not demonstrated at the 4-month follow-up. The primary motivators for yoga class attendance were stress relief, exercise, and overall health improvement. Primary barriers included family issues, schedule, illness, and work conflicts. Primary benefits included physical benefits, relaxation, emotional benefits, and community connectedness. Conclusions: Co-locating yoga classes in community health centers provides a variety of benefits and is a viable pathway to addressing disparities in yoga access.
AB - Objectives: We evaluated the acceptability, access, and impact of yoga among participants in yoga classes co-located in community health centers. Design: Participants were invited to complete a mixed-methods program evaluation consisting of a pre/post survey at their first class and structured interviews at 4 months. Setting: The study took place at two community health centers on the South Side of Chicago, IL, USA. Interventions: Four weekly 1–1.5 hour yoga classes were provided by four certified yoga instructors trained to teach to all ability levels. Measures: Our primary outcome measures were pain and stress before and after the first class, and at 4-months. We gathered data about participant demographics, their health problems, how they accessed the classes, and motivations and barriers to attending. We also extracted themes from participants’ qualitative feedback about their experiences. Results: Overall, 70 participants completed the initial surveys; 44 completed the 4-month interviews. A racially and ethnically diverse group of middle- and low-income adult patients and community members attended, with flyers and word of mouth the major routes to the class. A single yoga class provided statistically significant decreases in pain and stress, but these benefits were not demonstrated at the 4-month follow-up. The primary motivators for yoga class attendance were stress relief, exercise, and overall health improvement. Primary barriers included family issues, schedule, illness, and work conflicts. Primary benefits included physical benefits, relaxation, emotional benefits, and community connectedness. Conclusions: Co-locating yoga classes in community health centers provides a variety of benefits and is a viable pathway to addressing disparities in yoga access.
KW - Health services research
KW - Interprofessional practice
KW - Medically underserved population
KW - Pain
KW - Stress
KW - Yoga
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.02.005
DO - 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.02.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 30935532
AN - SCOPUS:85061391478
SN - 0965-2299
VL - 43
SP - 201
EP - 207
JO - Complementary Therapies in Medicine
JF - Complementary Therapies in Medicine
ER -