The Gentle Years Yoga Trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Individually randomised controlled multi-centre trial to determine the clinical and cost effectiveness of an adapted yoga programme for older adults with multimorbidity, including an embedded process evaluation
IRAS ID
255698
Contact name
Garry Tew
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria University
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN13567538
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 31 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
Multimorbidity is common in older adults, and associated with high levels of illness burden and healthcare expenditure. The evidence base for how best to manage older adults with multimorbidity is weak. Yoga might be a useful intervention, because it is low cost, simple, and can address several health conditions simultaneously. Gentle Years Yoga (GYY) is a yoga programme that was developed for older adults with chronic conditions. A pilot trial of GYY demonstrated feasibility and encouraging preliminary data. The current full-scale trial aims to answer the following research question: What is the clinical and cost effectiveness of the GYY programme plus usual care versus usual care only in community-dwelling older adults with multimorbidity?
We will conduct a randomised controlled trial with nested process and economic evaluations. The project duration is 4 years. The yoga intervention will be delivered in non-medical community-based facilities in at least 12 sites across England, Wales and Scotland. We aim to recruit 586 participants primarily via mail-out from general practices. Eligible participants will be aged 65 or over, community-dwelling, and with multimorbidity, defined as having two or more chronic conditions from a predefined list. Participants will be allocated to receive usual care and the offer of a 12-week GYY programme (n=293) or usual care only (n=293). The GYY programme will involve weekly group-based sessions and self-managed yoga practice on most days.
Outcomes will be collected at baseline, and 3, 6 and 12 months using postal questionnaires. The primary outcome will be the overall difference in quality of life over 12 months measured using the EQ-5D-5L. Secondary outcomes will include depression, anxiety, falls incidence, loneliness, and healthcare resource use. Intervention adherence will be assessed using class registers. A subset of participants and yoga teachers will be interviewed to inform intervention implementation.
Lay Summary of Results:
It is common for older adults to have two or more long-term health conditions. These conditions affect quality of life differently, with some people feeling well and others needing healthcare support. The Gentle Years Yoga programme is a chair-based yoga programme for older adults, including those with long-term conditions. We wanted to see how well this programme worked and if it offered good value for money for the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.
We tested whether offering a 12-week course of Gentle Years Yoga improved quality of life, and reduced anxiety, depression, falls and loneliness, in people aged 65 years and over who had two or more long-term conditions. We recruited 454 people through primary care practices across England and Wales, with 240 people selected at random to be invited to take part in the Gentle Years Yoga programme and the other 214 to continue with their usual care and not be offered Gentle Years Yoga. The average age of participants was 74 years, nearly two-thirds were female, and the number of long-term health conditions participants had ranged from two to nine (average was three). They completed four questionnaires over a 12-month period. We also interviewed some of the participants and the yoga teachers to find out how the approach worked in practice. The yoga was delivered either face-to-face or online.
We did not find any significant benefits in terms of quality of life, anxiety, depression, falls, or loneliness. At interview, some yoga participants noted no or a modest impact on their health or lifestyle, while others described Gentle Years Yoga as transformative, having substantial impacts and improvements on their physical health and emotional wellbeing. Because running the yoga classes was relatively inexpensive, and some insignificant benefits were seen, the Gentle Years Yoga programme might be good value for money.
REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/NE/0072
Date of REC Opinion
24 Apr 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion