Clinical trial NCT05777044: The Effect of Hatha Yoga on Mental Health
Official title: A Comparison of Hatha Yoga and Mediation on Mental Health Outcomes.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Depression
Anxiety
Mental Health Issue
Lead sponsor: Auburn University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-03-20
Enrollment: 45
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 35
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Participants will be randomized to one of three groups: waitlist control (usual routine), Hatha yoga (experimental group), and meditation (active comparative group).
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effects of a 10-week (2x a week; 45-minute per session) Hatha yoga intervention in adults ages 18-25 (n = 45) on mental health outcomes. The main questions it aims to answer are:

What is the effect of a hatha yoga intervention on depression and anxiety symptoms?

What is the effect of a hatha yoga intervention on electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha and theta band power?

What is the effect of hatha yoga intervention on heart rate variability?

Participants will be randomized to three groups: waitlist control (usual routine), Hatha yoga (experimental group), and meditation (active comparative group). Participants in the Hatha yoga experimental group will attend 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute yoga sessions.

The active comparison meditation group will participate in 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute meditation sessions. The control group will continue with their usual routine.

Researchers will compare changes in depression and anxiety symptoms, EEG alpha and theta band power, and heart rate variability between the three groups.

Detailed description: There are knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in understanding the effects of yoga, specifically long-term interventions, on physiological markers, electroencephalography (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) and elevated mental health symptoms in young adults. The present study will address the knowledge gaps by evaluating the effect of a 10-week (2x a week; 45-minute per session) Hatha yoga intervention in adults ages 18-25 (n = 45). Participants will be truly randomized to three groups: waitlist control (usual routine), Hatha yoga (experimental group), and meditation (active comparative group). This design will allow the investigators to determine the effects of Hatha yoga on relevant outcome measures. Changes in depression symptoms (BDI), anxiety symptoms (BAI), EEG alpha and theta band power, heart rate variability indices (RMSSD, LF/HF) will be assessed. Compared to the control group, investigators hypothesize that both the Hatha yoga and meditation groups will exhibit an improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms, an increased alpha and theta band power at rest, and an increased RMSSD and decreased LF/HF at rest. Moreover, the investigators hypothesize that the Hatha yoga group will improve body composition, flexibility, muscular endurance and strength, and cardiovascular recovery more than the meditation group.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Ages 18-35
* Medically healthy to participate in physical activity as determined by the Physical Activity Reading Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
* Concerned about or experiencing heightened anxiety, depression, and/or stress symptoms

Exclusion Criteria:

* Those with diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability, currently diagnosed with a concussion, physically unhealthy to participate in physical activity
* Anyone currently taking beta-blockers

Primary outcomes:
measure: EEG
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Heart rate variability
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Depression
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Anxiety
timeFrame: 10 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Blood Pressure
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Body Fat Percentage
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Flexbility
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Muscular Endurance
timeFrame: 10 weeks
measure: Aerobic capacity
timeFrame: 10 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Auburn
country: United States
facility: Auburn University
state: Alabama
Study officials:
References: