A major £1.4 million study investigating the benefits that
yoga brings to older people with multiple long-term health conditions is about
to begin at Northumbria University, Newcastle.
The four-year study is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and follows evidence that people with a number of
long-term health conditions are more likely to have reduced physical function,
lower quality of life and life expectancy, combined with more need for support
with mental health issues.
In the UK, two thirds of people over the age of 65 have multimorbidity,
which is defined as having two or more long-term health conditions. Conditions
include diabetes, heart disease and asthma, and mental health problems such as
depression and anxiety.
The more health problems someone has, the more likely they
are to consult a GP, be prescribed drugs and be admitted to hospital.
Treatments associated with long-term health conditions account for 70% of NHS
expenditure and further research is needed to identify cost-effective
treatments for this patient group.
The study therefore aims to determine both the clinical
effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a specially-adapted yoga programme for
older adults with multimorbidity.
Associate Professor Garry Tew of Northumbria’s Department of
Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, will work in partnership with the
University of York and independent yoga consultants on the study. The research
team will recruit almost 600 adults aged 65 and above who have multimorbidity
from across 12 different locations in the UK.
The participants will be randomly assigned to one of two
groups. The first group will continue to receive their usual care without any
additional support, while the second will receive their usual care plus an
invitation to join– the British Wheel of Yoga’s 12-week Gentle Years Yoga programme. This programme involves weekly
group-based sessions and encouragement to perform specific yoga practices at
home.
The participants’ progress will be assessed after three, six
and twelve months to monitor changes in their quality of life and mental
health.
Professor Tew specialises in researching the effects of
exercise programmes in people with long-term health conditions. He explained:
“Yoga is thought to bring wide-ranging benefits, such as increases in strength,
flexibility, balance and quality of life, and reductions in stress, anxiety and
depression. In older adults specifically, there is promising evidence that yoga
can improve physical function and quality of life, but more work is needed to
understand the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of yoga in older people
with multimorbidity.
“Our study will establish the effects of the Gentle Years
Yoga programme in this population. A primary focus will be the effect of the
programme on peoples’ overall quality of life. We will also review any changes
in their reported levels of depression and anxiety and if they are having fewer
falls because of improvements in physical function.
“We’ll also be measuring participants’ use of health care
resources, which will allow us to establish the cost-effectiveness of the yoga
programme. If these results are positive, they will provide evidence for healthcare
commissioners to fund yoga within the NHS.”
The funding for this major study follows the success of a Yorkshire-based
pilot trial of the Gentle Years Yoga programme, which was led by Professor Tew
in 2016. The findings of the pilot supported the feasibility of conducting the
current larger-scale study and provided encouraging preliminary data on the
effects of the yoga programme on physical function and quality of life.
In explaining the success of this programme, Professor Tew
said: “Common yoga poses are adapted so they can be done using chairs, so that
inactive older adults with long-term conditions such as osteoarthritis, high
blood pressure and dementia can safely participate.”
He went on to say: “As well as the benefits that exercising
brings, the yoga classes also provided a social element, with the opportunity
to establish new friendships that help to reduce any feelings of isolation that
people might be feeling. Following the end of the pilot study, most of the
participants chose to continue with the classes and paid for the sessions
themselves, confirming that they found the programme to be of value.”
Professor George Marston, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research and
Innovation) at Northumbria University, said: “I am absolutely delighted that
this project has been funded. As our society ages, finding strategies that lead
to healthy old age is becoming more and more important. Garry and his team have
the skills and experience to make this project into something with tangible,
direct benefits for a large proportion of our society, and will have huge
impact in the coming years.”
Researchers at Northumbria University are specialising in
research that assesses the role of exercise in the prevention and management of
long-term conditions. Academics are also investigating other factors such as
nutrition, sport participation and sleep to see how they can improve people’s
health. Their evidence is making the case for financially-viable solutions to
address the significant health and social care challenges society faces.
For more information on our research in this area, visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/integratedhealth
