Creating a Culturally Tailored Spanish Language Yoga Program for Latinos with Cancer Using a Community Engaged Research Approach

Background: While community-engaged research (CER) is seen as a keystone to addressing health disparities amongst minority populations, it can pose many challenges. Academics can feel wary to relinquish power while community partners can feel disempowered if the partnership isn’t based on shared values. Through an NIH-initiative to address obesity and chronic stress amongst Latinos (INTERCAMBIOS, 5R13HD075494-02), OCIM at Northwestern Medicine and Alas-Wings Latina Breast Cancer Alliance partnered to create and implement a 12-week, culturally tailored Spanish-language yoga intervention for Latinos with cancer. Methods: We held a series of team meetings with our community partner and several Spanish-language yoga instructors from the greater Chicago area. At meetings we discussed the necessary requirements of the yoga curriculum, including course-specific factors (e.g., length and number of classes, format, materials, location) as well as linguistic and cultural considerations. Results: Our process consisted of the following: 1) identifying yoga poses that are safe and achievable for breast cancer populations; establishing class themes that were culturally relevant; educating community yoga instructors on cancer and the side effects of treatment; conducting a photo shoot with various Latino yoga instructors; creating participant and teacher booklets for practice and guidance; participating in a ½ day instructor training to review/refine the curriculum; holding bi-weekly meetings among researchers and yoga instructors to address curriculum adjustments and group management challenges. Discussion: This study highlights the successful CER process we undertook to support Latinos with cancer through developing and implementing a culturally tailored Spanish language yoga program. By using CER principles, this yoga program not only meets scientific standards for clinical research purposes, it also leverages the wisdom, experience and representation of the Latino community.