Comparing Once- versus Twice-Weekly Yoga Classes for Chronic Low Back Pain in Predominantly Low Income Minorities: A Randomized Dosing Trial
Table 3
Baseline characteristics of 95 adults with chronic low back pain randomized to once- or twice-weekly hatha yoga classes*.
1 class/week ()
2 classes/week ()
Total ()
Mean age, years (SD)
46.4 (11.1)
48.7 (10.3)
47.5 (10.7)
Female
35 (71)
37 (80)
72 (76)
Race
White
5 (10)
12 (26)
17 (18)
Black
33 (67)
19 (41)
52 (55)
Other
11 (22)
15 (33)
26 (27)
Hispanic
3 (6)
6 (13)
9 (10)
US born
39 (80)
36 (78)
75 (79)
Language spoken at home
English
43 (88)
38 (83)
81 (85)
Spanish
2 (4)
4 (9)
6 (6)
Haitian Creole
3 (6)
1 (2)
4 (4)
Other
1 (2)
3 (7)
4 (4)
Education
High school or less
21 (43)
12 (26)
33 (35)
Beyond high school
28 (57)
34 (74)
62 (65)
Employment
Employed
21 (43)
21 (46)
42 (44)
Unemployed
17 (35)
13 (28)
30 (32)
Disabled
8 (16)
10 (22)
18 (19)
Other/missing
3 (6)
2 (4)
5 (5)
Income
≤$10,000
11 (22.5)
13 (28)
24 (25)
$10,001–$20,000
11 (22.5)
11 (24)
22 (23)
$20,001–$40,000
14 (29)
10 (22)
24 (25)
$40,001–$70,000
5 (10)
6 (13)
11 (12)
>$70,000
7 (14)
2 (4)
9 (10)
Missing
1 (2)
4 (9)
5 (5)
Health insurance
Public
27 (55)
26 (57)
53 (56)
Private
21 (43)
20 (43)
41 (43)
None
1 (2)
0
1 (1)
Duration of LBP
<1 year
6 (12)
16 (35)
22 (23)
1–3 years
16 (33)
13 (28)
29 (31)
4–9 years
13 (27)
10 (22)
23 (24)
≥10 years
13 (27)
7 (15)
20 (21)
Missing
1 (2)
0
1 (1)
Sciatica
18 (37)
15 (33)
33 (35)
Previous LBP treatments
Heat/ice
37 (76)
37 (80)
74 (78)
Exercise
37 (76)
32 (70)
69 (73)
Massage
35 (71)
33 (72)
68 (72)
Physical therapy
33 (67)
28 (61)
61 (64)
Chiropractic
18 (37)
20 (43)
38 (40)
Acupuncture
13 (27)
15 (33)
28 (29)
Epidural steroid injections
9 (18)
9 (20)
18 (19)
Trigger point injections
7 (14)
6 (13)
13 (14)
Back surgery
2 (4)
4 (9)
6 (6)
Osteopathic manipulation
2 (4)
4 (9)
6 (6)
Other
2 (4)
5 (11)
7 (7)
Hours exercise/week, mean (SD)
5.1 (10.0)
4.6 (5.9)
4.8 (8.2)
Previous yoga use
9 (18)
3 (7)
12 (13)
BMI, mean (SD)
29.6 (7.1)
30.5 (6.3)
30.0 (6.7)
Pain intensity in previous week, mean (SD)
7.1 (1.4)
6.7 (1.8)
6.9 (1.6)
RMDQ, mean (SD)
13.7 (4.8)
13.6 (5.2)
13.7 (5.0)
Pain medication use in last week
Any category
35 (71)
34 (74)
69 (73)
NSAIDs
28 (57)
26 (57)
54 (57)
Acetaminophen
14 (29)
12 (26)
26 (27)
Opiates
6 (12)
5 (11)
11 (12)
Other
4 (8)
7 (15)
11 (12)
SF-36 Physical Health, mean (SD)
37.5 (7.4)
37.4 (7.9)
37.4 (7.6)
SF-36 Mental Health, mean (SD)
44.8 (12.4)
44.1 (13.1)
44.5 (12.7)
Satisfaction with previous back care
Very satisfied
4 (8)
0
4 (4)
Somewhat satisfied
8 (16)
5 (11)
13 (14)
Neither satisfied or dissatisfied
20 (41)
14 (30)
34 (36)
Somewhat dissatisfied
9 (18)
10 (22)
19 (20)
Very dissatisfied
8 (16)
12 (26)
20 (21)
Missing
0
5 (11)
5 (5)
Hours/day of LBP, mean (SD)
10.1 (7.6)
9.4 (7.0)
10 (7)
Days of restricted activity due to LBP in last 4 weeks, mean (SD)
11.7 (8.9)
11.4 (9.1)
12 (9)
Unless otherwise noted, values are the numbers (percentages) of participants. Treated as a potential confounder due to between group differences () at baseline. Non-US born participants were from the Caribbean (Haiti (3), Dominican Republic (2), Barbados (2), Jamaica (2), Aruba, St. Kitts, St. Vincent), Africa (Cape Verde (2), Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia), India (2) and Missing (1). Other languages spoken at home included Portuguese Creole, Edo, Bengali, and Gujarati. Other therapies used in the past for back pain: meditation (2), hot tub (2), relaxation (1), deep breathing (1), tai chi (1), sauna (1), stretching (1), and corset (1). Abbreviations: BMI: body mass index; SD: standard deviation; LBP: low back pain; NSAIDs: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RMDQ: modified Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire; SF-36: the Short Form-36 Health Survey.
