142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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298069
Personal Narratives to Assess Acceptability of Yoga for Self-Care in Minorities with Arthritis

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Kimberly R. Middleton, BSN, MPH, MS , Nursing Research and Practice Development, NIH/Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD
Alice Fike, MSN , National Institutes of Health/NIAMS, National Institutes of Health, Silver Spring, MD
Regina Andrade, BA , Nursing Research and Practice Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
Gladys Tataw-Ayuketah, RN, MPH , Nursing and Patient Care Services, National Institutes of Health/Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD
Steffany Moonaz, PhD, RYT500 , Maryland University of Integrative Health, Baltimore, MD
Gwenyth R. Wallen, PhD , Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesa, MD
Studies have shown yoga to have a positive effect on well being.  However, for an intervention to be used, it must be acceptable to participants.  Acceptability can be defined as that quality which makes an idea satisfactory; and it can be influenced by culture, education, and experience. This pilot study seeks to understand the acceptability of yoga for a community sample of minority bilingual (English/Spanish) patients not typically identified as practicing yoga. The study population receives rheumatology care at the NIAMS Community Health Clinic in the Washington, DC area.

Personal narratives are used to document experiences while on the study.  Subjects participate in 60-minute bilingual Hatha yoga classes, twice a week for 8 weeks. Acceptability is determined by response/retention rates, journal responses, exit interviews, and continuing yoga for three months post-study. Sixteen women aged 40-63 years have been enrolled into the study to date. An interdisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners from nursing, rheumatology, rehabilitation medicine, and yoga therapy analyze the data using content analysis techniques.

Preliminary results show participants view yoga as helping with pain and sleep. Several report the benefit of socializing with others with arthritis. Exit interview responses indicate that most would refer yoga to a friend and anticipate continuing to practice on their own. It is unclear what aspects of yoga may be acceptable to an urban, minority population with arthritis. Utilizing personal narratives as an approach for obtaining self-reported information in integrative studies can provide guidelines for monitoring acceptability in future self-care studies.

Learning Areas:

Chronic disease management and prevention
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the use of journals and exit interview responses to assess acceptability in a pilot study of yoga as a self-care modality for minorities with arthritis.

Keyword(s): Alternative and Complementary Health, Minority Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I serve as the Principal Investigator on the clinical trial related to this submission. And serve as a methodologist in clinical research specializing in health behavior, emphasizing measurement in vulnerable populations. I have over 15 years experience within the field of public health and have been in nursing for over 20 years. Additionally, I am trained and registered as an RYT500 in yoga.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.