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Yoga in Older Cardiac Patients

Effects of Yoga on Physical and Psychological Outcomes in Older Patients Discharged From Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06235658
Enrollment
36
Registered
2024-02-01
Start date
2023-11-15
Completion date
2024-11-26
Last updated
2026-02-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cardiovascular Diseases in Old Age

Keywords

Physical Activity, Yoga, Mind-body therapies

Brief summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare, at 3 months, the effects of a yoga intervention on physical health, including balance, muscle strength, physical activity levels, cardiac autonomic function, and physical vulnerability, as well as psychological health, including depressive symptoms and anxiety, in cardiac patients who are older than 65 years old and randomized to the intervention or control group. The main questions aim to 1) determine if yoga can improve physical health outcomes such as balance, muscle strength, cardiac function, and physical vulnerability in older adults with cardiovascular disease, and 2) determine if yoga can positively impact psychological health, including reducing depressive symptoms and anxiety in this population. Participants in the intervention group will attend yoga sessions twice a week for three months. The intervention group will be asked to complete surveys and physical function assessments at the beginning and three months later. Researchers will compare the intervention group and the control group to see if there is any difference and improvement in physical and psychological health between the two groups.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALGentle Yoga

Participants will attend two virtual 60-minute gentle yoga sessions per week for 12 weeks. Each session will be conducted via videoconference using the Zoom platform, with participants joining from their homes.

Sponsors

Geunyeong Cha
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 100 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* have a history of an acute myocardial infarction within the preceding year, stable angina, cardiac surgery (including heart transplantation, valve surgery, or coronary artery bypass), coronary artery angioplasty or stents, or heart failure (ejection fraction \< 35%) diagnosed in the past year * have completed facility-based cardiac rehabilitation program (phase CR-II) within 12 months * can read and understand English * have no major comorbidities limiting their ability to participate in a yoga intervention * reside in Kentucky.

Exclusion criteria

* have incapacitating neurologic, orthopedic, or neoplastic conditions such as stroke paralysis, terminal cancer, or a cognitive disorder * currently practice yoga * have no home WIiFi access

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Recruitment RateThree monthsThe recruitment rate (%) will be calculated by dividing the total number of patients enrolled by approached eligible patients and then multiplying it by 100.
Number of Participants Who Completed the StudyThree monthsThe completion rate of the study will be calculated by dividing the total number of patients by the number of patients who will complete the study and then multiplying it by 100.
Intervention Adherence RateThree monthsThe intervention adherence rate will be calculated by dividing the total number of sessions attended by the total number of intervention sessions (i.e., 24) and multiplying that number by 100.
Intervention AcceptabilityThree monthsThe investigators will use modified versions of the Treatment Acceptability Adherence Scale (TAAS) to assess acceptability of the yoga intervention at 3-months follow-up. The TAAS is a 10-item self-report questionnaire designed to evaluate treatment acceptability and adherence. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale (1 = disagree strongly; 7 = agree strongly). The total score is a sum of ten items, ranging from 10 to 70 where a higher score means greater adherence.
Intervention SatisfactionThree monthsThe investigators will use modified versions of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) to assess the satisfaction of the yoga intervention at 3-month follow-up. The CSQ is an 8-item self-report questionnaire to evaluate participant satisfaction with a specific intervention. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = very satisfied; 4= quite dissatisfied). The total score is the sum of eight items, ranging from 8 to 32, where a higher score indicates greater satisfaction with the intervention. This instrument was validated for patients and has internal consistency reliability.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire-9Baseline and Three monthsThe Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was developed to correspond to symptoms used in the DSMV-IV to diagnose clinical depression. Nine symptoms are rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = 'Not at all; 3 = 'Nearly every day'), with possible total scores ranging from 0 to 27 and higher scores indicating higher levels of depressive symptoms.
Change in Brief Symptom InventoryBaseline and Three monthsThe Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), anxiety index, consists of 6 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = not at all; 4 = extremely). The total score ranges from 0 to 24, with a higher score reflecting greater anxiousness.
Change in Vulnerable Elders Survey 13Baseline and Three monthsThe Vulnerable Elders Survey 13 (VES-13) includes four dimensions: age, self-assessment of health, physical function, and living function. Each domain is scored differently. Age is scored as follows: 75-84 years = 1 point, ≥ 85 years = 3 points. Self-rated health is categorized into "fair and poor" or "good", "very good", or "excellent", with only the "fair and poor" category scoring 1 point. The total score ranges from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating greater vulnerability.
Change in Short-term Heart Rate VariabilityBaseline and Three monthsShort-term Heart Rate Variability (HRV) will be collected using the Polar H9 heart rate monitor (Polar Electro OY, Kempele, Finland). The investigator will send a reminder about the precautions to be taken (e.g., avoiding caffeine, alcohol, smoking, and intense physical activity, as these factors could affect the HRV measurement for successful HRV measurement the day before the scheduled test. The investigator will again ask if the instructions have been followed when they arrive for data collection. Study patients will be instructed to lay supine for 10 minutes without speaking and to remain as still as possible. The investigator will place the Polar H9 heart rate monitor on the center of the sternum to measure HRV. During HRV data collection, the study patients will also wear the ActiGraph on the waist because the Polar H9 communicates with the ActiGraph.
Muscle Strength at BaselineBaselineMuscle strengths will be measured using the handheld dynamometry (HHD, Lafayette dynamometer, model01165APP; Lafayette Instrument Company, Lafayette, Ind., USA). This device measures the peak force exerted in kilograms for five seconds during muscle contraction on hips and quadriceps.
Change in BalanceBaseline and Three monthsBalance will be measured using an Inertial Measurement Unit device (DOTIMU; Xsens Technologies, Enschede., the Netherlands). The investigators attach the IMU sensor (a small device the size of a large watch face) to the participant's lower back at the level of L3 vertebra. Patients will be asked to take off their shoes and stand up on the mat with their hands on their hips for 30 seconds. The investigators will measure balance 3 times, with 30 seconds of rest between assessments. The total estimated time for the balance test is 3-5 minutes. All signal processing, subsequent feature extraction, and analysis will be performed using MATLAB version R2018B (The Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). The root-mean-square (RMS) value of the acceleration signal will be used to quantify the magnitude and trajectory of postural sway in each direction. The RMS of the magnitude vector of the 3-axis acceleration signal will be used as the summary score.
Change in Physical ActivityBaseline and Three monthsPhysical activity (PA) will be measured using actigraphy, the gold-standard for measuring physical activity. The investigator will use the ActiGraph (GT3X Link model), a triaxial instrument, which is the most widely used wearable accelerometer in clinical research. All patients will be instructed to wear the device for nine consecutive days, including at least one weekend day. Both baseline and 3-month values were calculated in a similar way.
Muscle Strength at 3 MonthsThree monthsMuscle strengths will be measured using the handheld dynamometry (HHD, Lafayette dynamometer, model01165APP; Lafayette Instrument Company, Lafayette, Ind., USA). This device measures the peak force exerted in kilograms for five seconds during muscle contraction on hips and quadriceps.

Countries

United States

Contacts

STUDY_CHAIRDebra K Moser, Ph.D

University of Kentucky

Participant flow

Pre-assignment details

A total of 41 individuals were recruited. Of these, 36 provided informed consent and were formally enrolled in the study.

Baseline characteristics

Characteristic
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
31 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
0 Participants
Age, Continuous73 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
29 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
16 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
13 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 150 / 16
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 150 / 16
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 150 / 16

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 28, 2026