Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a combined therapeutic yoga and resistance exercise intervention for individuals with lung cancer and their caregivers

• Author / Creator

  Rewar, Shreya

• Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of a combined therapeutic yoga and resistance exercise intervention for individuals with lung cancer and their caregivers
  Methods: A pilot feasibility study measuring recruitment rate, completion rate, intervention adherence and adverse events was conducted from May 2017 to December 2017. Participants and their caregivers were recruited from Cross Cancer Institute outpatient clinics and through self-referral. An 8-week intervention was conducted comprising therapeutic yoga and resistance exercise. The primary outcome for individuals with lung cancer was dyspnea. Secondary outcomes included quality of life, fatigue, chest expansion, muscular strength, pulmonary function and shoulder range of motion. The outcomes for caregivers were quality of life, fatigue and muscle strength. Post-study interviews were conducted to inform a future study.
  Results: The findings support feasibility with high recruitment and completion rates of 85% and 78% respectively. Adherence to the yoga and resistance intervention was 87%. There were no adverse events during testing or intervention sessions. For individuals with lung cancer, a significant difference was found from baseline to post-intervention in outcomes of dyspnea (p=0.01), fatigue (p=0.02), muscular strength (p<0.05) and chest expansion at xiphisternum (p=0.03). For caregivers, a significant difference was found from baseline to post-intervention in symptoms of fatigue (p=0.04).
  Conclusion: A combined low to moderate intensity yoga and resistance exercise intervention is feasible and shows preliminary benefit for individuals with lung cancer and their caregivers.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • fatigue
  • muscle strength
  • dyspnea
  • chest expansion
  • pulmonary function
  • resistance exercise
  • lung cancer
  • caregiver
  • quality of life
  • range of motion
  • yoga
  • feasibiltiy

• Graduation date

  Fall 2018

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MC8RZ2W

• License

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