Outcome
Type |
Measure |
Description |
Time frame |
Safety issue |
Other |
Self-Compassion |
. Self-compassion will be assessed via the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003). It is a 26-item measure of self-compassion, with items across six subscales, namely, self-kindness, self-judgment, common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, and over-identification. Participants answer on a Likert type response scale ranging from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). A total score of general self-compassion is derived by summing all the items. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Personal optimism and self-efficacy optimism |
Personal optimism and self-efficacy optimism from the POSO-E (Gavrilov-Jerkovic, Jovanovic, Žuljevic, & Brdaric, 2014) will be measured. This is a 9-item scale has descriptive statements regarding optimism, and participants rate whether the statement describes them on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (completely incorrect) to 3 (completely correct). A total score is calculated by averaging the response for each subscale, with higher scores indicating higher optimism. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Covid-related stress |
Participants will respond to items assessing stress caused due to the pandemic. This will include items assessing changes in their sleeping, eating habits, mental health, and work. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Self-efficacy |
Self-efficacy specific to yoga was assessed using the Yoga Self-efficacy Scale (Birdee, Sohl, & Wallston, 2016). It is a 12-item scale that measures self-efficacy related to engaging in yoga postures, breathing, and meditation. Responses are scored on a Likert type scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 9 (strongly agree). The response options of the scale will be modified to percentages (0% to 100%). Total score is calculated by summing all items, and a higher score reflects higher self-efficacy. Additionally, a total score was calculated separately for questions relating to postures, breathing, and meditation. Self-efficacy to engage in physical activity will be assessed using the Lifestyle Self-efficacy Scale (E McAuley et al., 2009), which asks participants about their belief in their ability to be physically active five or more times per week at a moderate intensity, for at least 30 minutes, for six months. The duration was modified to reflect the duration of the study, i.e. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Mindfulness and Attention |
Mindfulness will be assessed via the Mindfulness and Attention Awareness Scale (K. Brown & Ryan, 2003). It is a 15-item measure of dispositional mindfulness in the context of day to day activities. Participants answer on a Likert type response scale ranging from 1 (almost always) to 6 (almost never). The total score is calculated by summing the response to all items, and higher scores reflect a higher level of dispositional mindfulness. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Positive and Negative Affect |
The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) is a 20-item scale measuring positive and negative feeling states over the past week. Each scale has 10 adjectives describing feelings, and responses range from 1 (Very slightly or not at all) to 5 (Extremely). A total score is calculated by summing items in each subscale after reverse coding few items, and a higher score indicates higher positive or negative affect. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Experienced Bodily Changes Scale (EBCS) |
The EBCS (O'Connor, Rousseau, & Maki, 2004) is an 8-item scale that measures perceived physical changes such as changes in energy level, body weight, and physical appearance. Responses are scored on a 11-point Likert type scale ranging from -5 to +5, wherein 0 means 'no change,' + numbers mean improvement, and - numbers mean deterioration. Mullen (2011) found that the 8-item scale is not unidimensional and proposed a four-item version measuring physiological change, which will be used. Additionally, five questions will be added to measure changes related to other relevant dimensions such as energy level, stress, and mindfulness. These have previously been used in a dissertation study with internal reliability of .77 (J. D. Cohen, 2019). |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Physical activity |
Physical activity at baseline will be assessed via the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (GLTEQ) (Gaston Godin, 2011). The GLTEQ assesses leisure-time activity across three modes of activity: strenuous, moderate, and mild, in terms of frequency and duration. Weekly frequencies of strenuous, moderate, and mild activities were multiplied by nine, five, and three, respectively to create the total score or number of units. According to this score, 24 units or more is indicative of an active individual, whereas any score below 24 is indicative of a non-active individual. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Outcome expectations |
Participants' expectations about the outcomes of this intervention will be assessed using the Multidimensional Outcome Expectancies for Exercise Scale (MOEES). It is a 15-item questionnaire measuring physical outcome expectancies, social outcome expectancies, and self-evaluative outcome expectancies. Responses range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The total score for each subscale is calculated by summing the items, with higher scores being indicative of higher outcome expectations for exercise. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Self-regulation |
The Physical Activity Self-Regulation Scale (PASR-12) (Umstattd, Motl, Wilcox, Saunders, & Watford, 2009) will be used to assess the use of self-regulation strategies for engaging in physical activity. The PASR-12 is a 12-item questionnaire with responses ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (very often). A total score can be calculated by summing up responses to all the items. There are also six subscales (self-monitoring, goal-setting, social support, reinforcement, time management, and relapse prevention), however, research by our lab has found that this scale is not uni-dimensional. We will use a modified version of the scale. Higher score reflects higher use of self-regulation strategies. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Bodily pain |
Bodily pain will be assessed using the 2-item bodily pain subscale of Short Form-36 (Håvard Loge & Kaasa, 1998), and the Pain Visual Analogue Scale. The questions are "How much bodily pain have you had during the past 4 weeks?" with responses ranging from none to very severe, and "During the past 4 weeks, how much did pain interfere with your normal work (including both work outside the home and housework)?" with responses ranging from not at all to extremely. The total score is calculated by averaging the response to these two items, and a higher score reflects lesser pain. Pain Visual Analogue Scale is a one-item measure asking participants to rate their perceived pain in the moment, on 10-point ruler with labels of 'no pain' (0), 'moderate pain' (5) and 'worst pain' (10). Higher scores indicating a higher level of perceived pain. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Anxiety and Depression |
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (Zigmond & Snaith, 1983) is a 14-item scale measuring depression and anxiety. It includes questions such as "I feel tense or wound up" (depression) and "I feel restless as if I have to be on the move" (anxiety). Responses ranging from 0-3 on a Likert type rating scale. Total score is calculated by summing responses on seven items measuring depression, and seven items measuring anxiety. A total score of 0-7 indicates 'normal', 8-10 indicates 'borderline abnormal', and 11-21 indicates 'abnormal'. The State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI; (Spielberger, 2010) is a 40-item scale which measures state and trait anxiety (20 items each). Responses are scored on a Likert type scale ranging from 1 (almost never) to 4 (almost always). A total score is calculated for each subscale by summing the items (after some required reverse-coding). Higher score indicates a higher level of anxiety. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Other |
Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) |
Participants will be asked to rate their perceived exertion after engaging in the exercise session. The modified RPE scale (Borg, 1998) is a 10-point scale ranging from 1 (no exertion at all) to 10 (maximal exertion) and it measures the perceived intensity of the exercise. It has been validated with objective measures of physical activity intensity (Day, Mcguigan, Brice, & Foster, 2004; Noble, Borg, Jacobs, Ceci, & Kaiser, 1983; Pincivero & Timmons, 2010) |
Change from baseline at 50 minutes (post-session) |
|
Other |
Focus of Attention |
Participants will be asked to rate their focus on attention via the item "During the last exercise session, where was your focus of attention?" The response range from 0 (external focus of attention) to 10 (internal focus of attention). This item has been validated (Hutchinson & Tenenbaum, 2007) and has been previously used to understand mental states in mind-body interventions (Phansikar et al., 2018) |
Change from baseline at 50 minutes (post-session) |
|
Other |
Affect |
Participants will rate their affect on the Feeling Scale (Hardy & Rejeski, 1989), ranging from 5 (very good) to -5 (very bad), with 0 meaning neutral. |
Change from baseline at 50 minutes (post-session) |
|
Other |
Heart rate |
Participants will measure their heart rate before and after the exercise session, using a freely available mobile application. Mobile applications calculate heart rate using photoplethysmography, which is the same technology used in a pulse oximeter. This technology detects fingertip pulse by using the smartphone's built-in camera to emit light and track color changes on the fingertip that are directly linked to one's pulse. Heart rate measurement using mobile applications based on photoplethysmography has been validated (Coppetti et al., 2017). |
Change from baseline at 50 minutes (post-session) |
|
Primary |
Perceived Stress |
The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), developed by Cohen, Kamarck, and Mermelstein (1983) will be used to measure perceived psychosocial stress. The PSS is a 10-item scale that measures the extent to which situations are perceived as stressful. Responses range from 0 (Never) to 4 (Very often) and higher scores indicate a higher level of perceived stress. The Brief Job Stress Questionnaire, developed by Kawada and Otsuka (2011), is a 15-item scale measuring job stress. It focuses on the evaluation of job demands, job control, job support, and degree of job satisfaction. Responses range from 1 (Agree) to 4 (Disagree) and higher scores indicate a lower level of stress. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Secondary |
Task switching paradigm |
This measures cognitive flexibility, i.e. a participant's ability to adapt quickly to changing rules and the cost associated with it. In this task, participants have to characterize the picture presented according to shape or color, with a switch in the rules occurring every two tasks. Participants are cued to the rule before the stimulus is presented. Reaction time and accuracy will be recorded, with lower reaction time and higher accuracy indicating better performance. Participants will complete 40 trials. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Secondary |
Digit span forward and backward |
This is a measure of the storage and manipulation capacity of working memory. The participant will be shown a series of digits presented on PowerPoint, through screen sharing. The minimum length of digits presented is 3 (e.g., 638) and the maximum length is 9 (e.g., 628295702). In the forward task, participants will be asked to recall the digits exactly as they were presented, while in the backward task, they will have to recall them in the reverse order. Digit-span backward is the more complex task of the two. Accuracy will recorded, with higher accuracy indicating better performance. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Secondary |
Digit symbol substitution test (DSST) |
DSST is a task measuring processing speed. Participants will be shown a code-key in which every digit matches a particular symbol. Then, they will be shown a symbol on the screen and participants will have to say the corresponding digit aloud, as quickly and accurately as possible. Participants are given 90 seconds to complete as many digit-symbol pairings as possible. The number of accurate pairings will be recorded, with a higher score indicating better performance. This task will be completed by showing the symbols to participants via screen sharing. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|
Secondary |
Stroop task |
Stroop task measures response inhibition or response interference control. Participants will be shown a series of word colors that are either congruent or incongruent with the color of the word itself. The participant will be asked to respond to the color of the word and not the word itself. Responses are made with the keyboard. The incongruent condition is the more difficult condition of the two. Reaction time is recorded and a cost score is calculated, with shorter cost scores indicating better performance. |
Change from baseline at 8 weeks |
|