Research Study - Western Sydney University (Free yoga)
Our BCNA Policy and Advocacy team have provided the current study information that may be of interest to some of our members:
Researchers
at Western Sydney University are undertaking a 6-week clinical trial exploring
the impact of either group yoga classes or individual yoga sessions for
improving mental health in people diagnosed with cancer.
Who
can participate?
You
may be eligible to participate if you
-
Have
been diagnosed with either breast cancer or gynaecological cancer (ovarian,
uterine, cervical, etc) in the last 5 years
-
Are not currently receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy; however, you may be
receiving stable hormone-blocking therapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy
-
Have
increased symptoms of depression and/or anxiety
-
Have
adequate general health to be involved in a yoga program
-
Have
reliable access to the internet and a device with a web camera
-
Are
aged 18 or older
What’s
involved?
To
register your interest to participate in this clinical trial, you will complete
and submit an anonymous online survey. The purpose of the survey is to assess
your eligibility to participate in this clinical trial.
Participants
who meet the preliminary criteria to participate will be asked to submit their
contact information, which will be used by a clinical trial officer to arrange
a teleconferencing screening call.
If
you are eligible, you will be randomly allocated to either group yoga classes
or individual yoga sessions.
Group
yoga classes
if
you are allocated to group yoga sessions you will be required to attend six (6)
yoga classes with a qualified yoga teacher online via the Zoom platform over a
6-week period.
You
will also be asked to do additional yoga practice between classes, and record
your practice weekly.
Individual
yoga sessions
If
you are allocated to this group you will be required to attend six (6)
one-on-one yoga sessions with a qualified yoga teacher online over the Zoom
platform over a 6-week period.
You
will also be asked to do additional yoga practice between sessions, and record
your practice weekly.
During
the program, all participants will complete a short (10 min) weekly survey and
3 sets of questionnaire and assessment measures (approximately 30 min each) as
well as having occasional 5–10 min phone calls with a research team member.
Interested in participating in this study?
To indicate your interest in participating in the study, please visit NICM HRI | Online yoga and mental health in cancer study or contact Maria Gonzalez NICM Health Research Institute, Study Chief Investigator - PhD Candidate, by emailing m.gonzalez2@westernsydney.edu.au
Complementary therapies can improve your physical and
emotional wellbeing. They can also help you to manage some of the side effects
of breast cancer treatments, such as anxiety, pain and fatigue. Yoga is a form
of complimentary therapy. While many complementary therapies can be very
helpful, it is a good idea to talk to a member of your medical team before
starting anything new. This will help you to prevent any possible effects that
the therapy may have on your breast cancer treatments or general health. You can check out BCNA's website for more information regarding complimentary therapies https://www.bcna.org.au/health-wellbeing/complementary-and-alternative-medicines-and-therapies/complementary-therapies/
Thanks for the tip.