The Feasibility and Impact of a Yoga Intervention on Cognition, Physical Function, Physical Activity, and Affective Outcomes Among People Living with HIV: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to assess the feasibility and impact of a tri-weekly 12-week yoga intervention among people living with HIV (PLWH). Additional objectives included evaluating cognition, physical function, medication adherence, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and mental health among yoga participants versus controls using blinded assessors. We recruited 22 medically-stable PLWH aged ≥35 years. A priori feasibility criteria were ≥70% yoga session attendance and ≥70% of participants satisfied with the intervention using a post-participation questionnaire. Two participants withdrew from the yoga group. Mean yoga class attendance was 82% with 100% satisfaction. Intention-to-treat analyses (yoga n=11, control n=11) showed no within- or between-group differences in cognitive and physical function. The yoga group improved over time in HRQoL cognition (p=.047) with trends toward improvements in HRQoL health transition (p=.063) and depression (p=.055). This pilot study provides preliminary evidence of feasibility and benefits of yoga for PLWH.