Ward Lesley, Bissell Laura, Howsam Jenny, Tew Garry A, Wiley Laura, Rose Fiona, Sofía Camila, Palacios Maturana, Rapley Tim
Department of Social Work, Education and Community Wellbeing, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
British Wheel of Yoga Qualifications, Sleaford, UK.
BMC Complement Med Ther. 2025 Mar 17;25(1):107. doi: 10.1186/s12906-025-04838-6.
Yoga is a safe, effective, and popular practice among older adults, and amenable to online delivery. The Gentle Years Yoga randomised controlled trial compared the impact of a chair-based yoga programme to usual care on the health-related quality of life of older adults with multimorbidity. This embedded, longitudinal process evaluation qualitatively explored experiences and acceptability of online delivery of the trial intervention.
A subset of trial participants randomised to receive the 12-week online yoga programme, together with the trial yoga teachers, were purposively recruited to semi-structured interviews. Individual interviews were conducted via Zoom or telephone, audio-recorded, independently transcribed, and thematically analysed. Online observations were conducted of one class delivered by each teacher.
Eighteen yoga participants (66-91 years; 2-8 chronic health conditions) and nine teachers were interviewed once (N = 12) or twice (N = 15) from October 2020 to April 2022. Five themes predominated, common to both groups. (1) Accessibility. Reduced communication and engagement inherent to online delivery were mostly outweighed by its removal of access barriers and provision of anonymity and distraction-free environment. (2) Technology issues. While digital literacy was variable and a barrier for some, simplified access procedures and basic audiovisual instruction optimised class engagement. (3) Delivery adaptations. Key facilitation techniques included simple, repetitive instructions, increased demonstration, personalised communication, and visibility-enhancing clothing. (4) Safety. Concerns were minimal, and mostly related to restricted visual and positional information inherent to face-to-face classes. (5) Implications and implementations. Online delivery was considered viable and potentially appealing for anyone experiencing issues accessing face-to-face classes outside the home. Potential solutions to online attendance barriers included equipment loan schemes and digital learning courses using existing community-based infrastructures.
Online chair-based yoga classes were feasible and acceptable to participants and teachers, and preferrable to face-to-face delivery by some. IT issues were minimal, and mainly resolvable through simple access processes and educational information. Accessibility advantages suggest online yoga may be suitable for a broad demographic, independent of age or health status. Establishing connections with existing health and community-based organisations presents a potential pathway for developing an equipment loan scheme to improve accessibility for those with financial access barriers.
ISRCTN ISRCTN13567538. Registered 18 March 2019.
瑜伽在老年人中是一种安全、有效且受欢迎的锻炼方式，并且适合在线授课。“岁月静好瑜伽”随机对照试验比较了基于椅子的瑜伽课程与常规护理对患有多种疾病的老年人健康相关生活质量的影响。这项嵌入式纵向过程评估定性地探索了试验干预措施在线授课的体验和可接受性。
有目的地招募了一部分被随机分配接受为期12周在线瑜伽课程的试验参与者以及试验瑜伽教师，进行半结构化访谈。通过Zoom或电话进行个人访谈，录音、独立转录并进行主题分析。对每位教师授课的一节课进行在线观察。
从2020年10月到2022年4月，对18名瑜伽参与者（66 - 91岁；患有2 - 8种慢性健康问题）和9名教师进行了访谈，其中12人访谈一次，15人访谈两次。两组都出现了五个主要主题。（1）可及性。在线授课固有的沟通和参与度降低，大多被其消除获取障碍、提供匿名性和无干扰环境所抵消。（2）技术问题。虽然数字素养参差不齐，对一些人来说是个障碍，但简化的访问程序和基本的视听指导优化了课堂参与度。（3）授课调整。关键的促进技巧包括简单、重复的指导、增加示范、个性化沟通以及穿着增强可见度的服装。（4）安全性。担忧最小，主要与面对面课程固有的视觉和位置信息受限有关。（5）影响和实施。在线授课被认为对任何在家外参加面对面课程有困难的人来说是可行的且可能有吸引力。解决在线出勤障碍的潜在解决方案包括设备租赁计划和利用现有社区基础设施的数字学习课程。
基于椅子的在线瑜伽课程对参与者和教师来说是可行且可接受的，并且有些人更喜欢在线授课而非面对面授课。信息技术问题最少，主要通过简单的访问流程和教育信息来解决。可及性优势表明在线瑜伽可能适合广泛的人群，无论年龄或健康状况如何。与现有的健康和社区组织建立联系为制定设备租赁计划以改善经济受限人群的可及性提供了一条潜在途径。
ISRCTN ISRCTN13567538。2019年3月18日注册。
