Development of a Translational Tool to Study Yoga Therapy

描述（由申请人提供）：越来越多的证据表明瑜伽对一系列身体健康问题的有效性。然而，瑜伽是一个庞大而异质的现象，不同的研究以非常不同的方式实施瑜伽。这种异质性，虽然反映了瑜伽方法的丰富性和多样性，但也使得研究结果的比较变得困难，并限制了我们理解瑜伽疗法影响身心健康的机制的能力。为了促进对瑜伽疗法疗效的理解，本申请提出系统地开发和验证一种工具，以评估可在患者人群中使用的瑜伽疗法的维度。这个四阶段项目的第一阶段将侧重于通过全面的文献综述和进行焦点小组收集瑜伽学生和教练的定性信息来全面了解瑜伽疗法的相关方面。这些数据将使用严格的定性方法进行分析，以确定与瑜伽干预相关的关键概念维度。第二阶段的重点是开发一个原型措施，以评估瑜伽治疗（瑜伽问卷的基本属性; EPYQ）和原型进行认知访谈。第三阶段将涉及一个大规模的原型管理，完善它通过因素分析和项目反应理论。第四阶段将建立EPYQ的心理测量特性（即，可靠性和有效性），以产生最终问卷。该项目预计将导致创建一个心理测量的声音问卷，可用于对各种患者人群进行瑜伽疗法的后续研究。这项措施将使未来对瑜伽干预措施的研究能够检查瑜伽各个方面对幸福感的影响，并设计更合理的干预措施。通过这四个综合阶段，我们将实现三个主要目标：（1）得出瑜伽干预的潜在中心维度的综合列表（2）开发一个问卷，可以由客观的观察者以及瑜伽教师和学生完成，以评估这些维度在任何特定瑜伽干预中的存在程度;以及（3）建立问卷的心理测量特性（即，信度和效度）。作为第二个目标，我们将通过我们的文献综述和收集的数据，开发瑜伽效果的潜在机制模型，可用于未来的瑜伽干预研究。创建一个有效和可靠的测量工具来评估瑜伽干预措施将是有价值的未来研究，允许识别和测试瑜伽治疗的不同方面，并为选择适当的对照组提供信息，以隔离瑜伽干预措施中的治疗成分。这项研究有可能提高对如何最有效地将随机疗效试验结果转化为临床实践的理解。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Evidence is accumulating suggesting the effectiveness of yoga with a range of physical health problems. However, yoga is a vast and heterogeneous set of phenomena, and different studies implement yoga in very different ways. This heterogeneity, while reflecting the richness and diversity of yogic approaches, also makes comparison of findings across studies difficult and limits our ability to understand the mechanisms through which yoga therapy affects physical and mental well-being. To advance understanding of the efficacy of yoga therapy, this application proposes to systematically develop and validate a tool to assess dimensions of yoga therapy that can be used across patient populations. Phase I of this 4-phase project will focus on gaining a comprehensive understanding of the relevant dimensions of yoga therapy through a comprehensive literature review and conducting focus group to collect qualitative information from yoga students and instructors. These data will be analyzed using rigorous qualitative methods to identify key conceptual dimensions associated with yoga interventions. Phase II will focus on developing a prototype measure to assess yoga therapy (the Essential Properties of Yoga Questionnaire; EPYQ) and subjecting the prototype to cognitive interviewing. Phase III will involve a large-scale administration of the prototype to refine it through factor analysis and item-response theory. Phase IV will establish the psychometric properties of the EPYQ (i.e., reliability and validity) to produce a final questionnaire. This project is expected to result in the creation of a psychometrically sound questionnaire that can be used in subsequent research conducted on yoga therapies across a variety of patient populations. This measure will allow for future research on yoga interventions to examine the effects of various dimensions of yoga on well-being and to design more sound interventions. Through these four integrated phases, we will achieve three primary aims: (1) Derive a comprehensive listing of potentially central dimensions of yoga interventions (2) Develop a questionnaire that can be completed by objective observers as well as yoga teachers and students to assess the degree to which these dimensions are present in any specific yoga intervention; and (3) Establish the psychometric properties of the questionnaire (i.e., reliability and validity). As a secondary aim, we will, through our literature reviews and collected data, develop a model of potential mechanisms of yoga's effects that may be used in future research on yoga interventions. The creation of a valid and reliable measurement tool for assessing yoga interventions will be valuable for future research in allowing identification and testing of different aspects of yoga therapy and informing selection of appropriate control groups for isolating the therapeutic ingredients in yoga interventions. This research has the potential to improve understanding of how to most effectively translate the results of randomized efficacy trials into clinical practice.