Design of a Theory-Based Yoga Intervention to Promote Cardiovascular Health in Older Adults

Abstract

(2017) 0042 Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in older adults. Physical activity has been shown to reduce CVD risk, yet most older adults do not engage in adequate physical activity to promote cardiovascular health. Yoga has been shown to reduce the risk of CVD through improvement in blood pressure, body composition, glucose tolerance, and lipid profile. However, few yoga interventions have been guided by theory, which limits our understanding of the mechanisms by which yoga is expected to achieve favorable changes in cardiovascular health among older adults. The purpose of this paper is to describe a theory-based approach to the design of the Yoga for HEART (Health Empowerment and Realizing Transformation) intervention to enhance motivation for health behavior change and improve health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults at risk for CVD. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) will provide information about the feasibility of conducting a future definitive RCT. Twenty (N=20) sedentary older adults (  50 years) will be randomly assigned to the yoga intervention group or to an attention control group. Intervention group participants will attend group yoga sessions for 60 minutes, twice per week, for 12 weeks. Attention control group participants will receive mailed weekly newsletters. The groups will be compared pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2) on theoretical mediating variables, physical activity behavior, cardiovascular health outcomes (i.e., blood pressure and body composition), and health-related physical fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility). Feasibility will be assessed in terms of intervention acceptability,