Cancer Medicine Journal Research Article | Vol 1 Iss 1 Citation: Julie Hunley, The Effect of Yoga on Barriers to Occupational Engagement in African American Breast Cancer Survivors. Cancer Med J 2018: 1(1) 3-11. © 2018 Tridha Scholars. 3 The Effect of Yoga on Barriers to Occupational Engagement in African American Breast Cancer Survivors Julie Hunley 1* , Sailaja Kamaraju 2 , Phyllis Holder 3 , Aniko Szabo 4 , Rita Burlingame-Toppen 1 and Melinda Stolley 5 1 Mount Mary University, Occupational Therapy Department, USA 2 Medical College of Wisconsin Division of Hematology and Oncology, Medical Director Moorland Reserve Health Center, USA 3 Founder and CEO, Sisters 4 Cure, Inc., USA 4 Medical College of Wisconsin, Institute for Health and Equity, Biostatistics, USA 5 Medical College of Wisconsin, Associate Director for Population Health, USA * Corresponding author: Julie Hunley, PhD, OT, Assistant Professor, Mount Mary University, Occupational Therapy Department, USA, Tel: 4149303236; E-mail: hunleyj@mtmary.edu Received Date: August 08, 2018; Accepted Date: September 03, 2018; Published Date: September 10, 2018 Abstract Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine if occupational therapy informed yoga could decrease barriers to occupational engagement in African American breast cancer survivors. Methods: A single-arm pretest-posttest design was used to study African American breast cancer survivors who participated in six weekly group yoga sessions that were delivered by occupational therapists. Variables were selected to operationalize barriers to occupational engagement and included mental health, bodily pain, role-physical and emotional, fatigue, self-efficacy, acute pain, balance, and upper extremity disability. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis via linear mixed effects modeling were conducted to describe the participants and determine the efficacy of occupational therapy informed yoga. Results: Barriers to occupational engagement (health related quality of life, self-efficacy and balance, pain, upper-extremity disability) were evident in participants at baseline. Occupational therapy informed yoga reduced some of these barriers through significant changes in pain, mental health, and balance. Conclusion: These findings provide initial support for the development of group programming to deliver occupational therapy informed yoga to African American breast cancer survivors. Keywords: Breast cancer survivors; African American women; Psycho-social interventions