Development of a Translational Tool to Study Yoga Therapy

描述(由申请者提供)：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，瑜伽是一个庞大而多样的现象集合，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，但也使跨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了解，该应用程序建议系统地开发和验证一种工具，以评估可在患者群体中使用的瑜伽疗法的各个方面。这个分4个阶段的项目的第一阶段将集中于通过全面的文献回顾和开展焦点小组从瑜伽学生和教练那里收集定性信息，以全面了解瑜伽治疗的相关方面。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。第二阶段将专注于开发评估瑜伽治疗的原型测量(瑜伽基本特性问卷；EPYQ)，并对原型进行认知访谈。第三阶段将涉及对原型的大规模管理，以通过因素分析和项目反应理论对其进行提炼。第四阶段将建立EPYQ的心理测量学特性(即信度和效度)，以产生最终问卷。该项目预计将产生一份心理测量学良好的问卷，可用于随后对各种患者群体进行的瑜伽疗法研究。这一措施将允许未来对瑜伽干预的研究，以检查瑜伽的各个维度对幸福感的影响，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核心维度的全面清单；(2)开发一份可由客观观察者以及瑜伽教师和学生填写的问卷，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学特性(即信度和效度)。作为次要目标，我们将通过我们的文献回顾和收集的数据，开发一个瑜伽影响的潜在机制的模型，该模型可能用于未来关于瑜伽干预的研究。创建用于评估瑜伽干预措施的有效和可靠的测量工具，对于未来的研究将是有价值的，以便能够识别和测试瑜伽治疗的不同方面，并为选择适当的对照组以分离瑜伽干预措施中的治疗成分提供信息。这项研究有可能提高对如何最有效地将随机疗效试验的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.