P02.47
Purpose: To examine whether sociodemographic, health, and recruitment-related characteristics predict adherence to yoga, physical therapy (PT), and education in a RCT for chronic low back pain (cLBP).
Methods: Back to Health is a 12-week comparative effectiveness RCT for cLBP. We are recruiting 320 adults with cLBP from community health centers in racially diverse neighborhoods of Boston, MA. They are randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to yoga, PT, and education. During the 12-week intervention period, participants engage in a standardized once-weekly hatha yoga protocol delivered in a class format supplemented by home practice; one-on-one sessions with a physical therapist supplemented by home practice; or are instructed to read a self-care book on back pain. Activities to enhance attendance to yoga classes and PT sessions include weekly reminder phone calls, assistance with child care or transportation, attendance-based raffles, staggered distribution of honoraria, and take home practice supplies. Education participants receive regular phone call check-ins. Attendance rates were calculated for yoga and PT sessions. Adherence was defined a priori as attending >75% of yoga sessions, >11 of 15 (>71%) PT sessions, or having read >75% of the book. Attendance and adherence rates were compared between groups using chi-square. Chi-square and t-tests were used to assess for any associations between adherence and sociodemographic and health-related characteristics.
Results: 163 participants have been analyzed to date. Attendance rates were good: 65% (yoga) and 57% (PT) (p=0.01). However, adherence rates for yoga and PT were suboptimal (47% and 35%, respectively) compared to education (64%) (p=0.08). Preliminary analyses show female gender (p=0.04), pain medication use (p=0.01), and white race (p=0.01) to be associated with greater adherence.
Conclusion: Adherence rates are lower than expected. Further analyses of predictors for poor and good adherence are needed to better understand and address this problem.
Contact: Shayna Egan, eganse@bu.edu
