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. 2021 Sep;29(9):5313-5321.
doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06083-2. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Understanding interest, barriers, and preferences related to yoga practice among cancer survivors

Krupali Desai  1 , Ting Bao  2 , Qing S Li  2 , Nirupa J Raghunathan  2 , Kelly Trevino  3 , Angela Green  4 , Han Xiao  5 , Jun J Mao  2
Affiliations

Understanding interest, barriers, and preferences related to yoga practice among cancer survivors

Krupali Desai et al. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose: Despite growing evidence supporting the benefits of yoga for cancer-related symptom management, yoga usage among cancer survivors is low. To translate the evidence of yoga benefits into community practice, it is critical to understand interest in yoga as well as barriers and preferences that influence yoga usage among cancer survivors.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey study among cancer survivors, 18 years or older, with a primary diagnosis of cancer, and receiving treatment or follow-up care at outpatient clinics at five regional academic cancer center sites. We collected data and performed bivariate and multivariable analyses on self-reported yoga usage and interest in and barriers to practicing yoga, as well as preferred location and time for yoga practice.

Results: Of 857 participants, 70.0% had never practiced yoga and 52.3% were interested in practicing yoga. Among those interested, 52.5% had never practiced yoga. Lower interest was independently associated with being male (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.20-0.44, p < 0.001), unemployed (OR = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.39-0.91, p = 0.016), and white (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.23-0.78, p = 0.005). Commonly cited barriers among those who were interested but had never practiced were not aware of yoga benefits (36.3%), difficulty motivating (28.7%), experiencing symptoms (22.9%), and not enough time (22.0%). Participants indicated "on-site and at a studio near home" (41.5%) as preferred location and evenings (3-8 pm, 34.0%) as preferred time for yoga practice.

Conclusion: Although more than 50% of patients indicated interest in practicing yoga, use of yoga is low among cancer survivors. Barriers and patient preferences for yoga practice need to be addressed to design effective yoga programs for this population.

Keywords: Barriers; Cancer survivor; Yoga interest.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr. Jun Mao reports grants from Tibet CheeZheng Tibetan Medicine Co. Ltd. and from Zhongke Health International LLC outside the submitted work. Dr. Angela Green reports personal fees from Clinical Congress Consultants outside the submitted work All other authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Barriers to Practicing Yoga (N=674)
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Percentages of Participants Endorsing Specific Barriers Among Not Interested, Interested but Never Practiced, and Practiced Before and Stopped Yoga
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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