Background: The loss of mobility during aging impacts independence and leads to further disability, morbidity,\nand reduced life expectancy. Our objective was to examine the feasibility and safety of conducting a randomized\ncontrolled trial of yoga for older adults at risk for mobility limitations.\nMethods: Sedentary older adults (n = 46; age 60â??89) were recruited and randomized to either yoga or a health\neducation comparison group. Yoga sessions (60-min) occurred 2x weekly, and 90-min health education sessions\noccurred weekly, for 10 weeks. The primary outcomes were recruitment rate, intervention attendance, and retention\nat assessments. Adverse event rates and participant satisfaction were also measured. Physical performance measures\nof gait, balance, and strength and self-report outcome measures were administered at baseline and 10-weeks.\nResults: Recruitment lasted 6 months. Retention of participants at the 10-week follow-up was high (89% -\nperformance measures; 98% - self-report questionnaires). Attendance was good with 82% of yoga and 74% of\nhealth education participants attending at least 50% of the sessions. No serious adverse events were reported.\nPatient satisfaction with the interventions was high. The mean effect size for the physical performance measures\nwas 0.35 with some over 0.50. The mean effect size for self-report outcome measures was 0.36.\nConclusions: Results indicate that it is feasible to conduct a larger RCT of yoga for sedentary older adults at risk for\nmobility problems. The yoga and comparison interventions were safe, well accepted, and well attended. Effect sizes\nsuggest yoga may have important benefits for this population and should be studied further
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