A cross sectional survey to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of Yoga among cancer patients at a tertiary care hospital in Rishikesh, India.

Abstract

e24040 Background: The global cancer burden continues to rise, putting individuals under severe physical, mental, and financial stress. Yoga may aid chemotherapy patients to improve their quality of life. The purpose of this survey is to learn more about the gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of Yoga and barriers. Methods: The cross-sectional time-bound survey was conducted on cancer patients of age 18 years and above receiving cancer treatment at the outpatient clinic of AIIMS Rishikesh. We collected data of 738 cancer patients, bivariate and multivariate analysis was done to understand the level of awareness of the importance of Yoga as an alternative therapy. Results: Of 738 cancer patients who participated, 90.2% had heard about Yoga. Among those aware of yogic practices, only 15.9% knew that Yoga is an alternative therapy across the world. Knowledge of yogic importance was associated with age (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.07-1.26, p = 0.002), education (OR = 0.5, 95%CI = 0.4-0.6, p < < .001), religion (OR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.1-1.2, p < < .001). Attitude towards Yoga with the belief that it helps maintain mental health has a positive association with education (OR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.8-0.9, p = 0.03). Almost 56% of cancer patients had never practiced Yoga. The identified barriers in yogic kriya practice were lack of time, interest, and facilities. Conclusions: The knowledge of the benefits of Yoga on health was high in adolescent young cancer patients. Still, the motivation towards yoga practice is limited due to various factors like lack of infrastructure, time, belief. The gap between knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers can be overcome by conducting effective yogic programs for this population.