Effects of Ashtanga-Vinyasa Yoga Supta on Portuguese Airforce Military Pilots Performance
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Active, not recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 18
- Locations
- 2
- Primary Endpoint
- Changes in Stress and HRV
Study Overview
Brief Summary
A total of 18 military pilots in their tirocinium in the air force academy from the Portuguese Air Force course "Masters in Military Aeronautics: aviator pilot specialist" participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to yoga (intervention group) or waiting list (control group). Procedures were approved by the Évora University research ethics committee and participants will give written informed consent according to the Helsinki declaration (approval number: 21050).
Detailed Description
A randomized, prospective, controlled trial was designed, with the participants (n=18) randomly distributed into two groups. The Control Group (n=8) will be receiving the protocolized classes from the course "Masters in Military Aeronautics: aviator pilot specialist" for 12 weeks, the Intervention Group (n=10) will receive the same course and 2 sessions per week (1h each) of the yoga classes (4). The intensity of the program (Borg rating of perceived exertion scale) will be measured. The operative performance response measurements will be collected at baseline and post-intervention. Participants will complete the following emergency protocols in a flight simulator: (1) take-off engine failure, (2) flight engine failure close to the base, (3) flight engine failure far away from the base, and (4) alternator failure. This intervention protocol was accepted by the Portuguese Airforce to be applied on Airbase 11 in Beja.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Other
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 30 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •healthy military pilots in their tirocinium in the air force academy from the Portuguese Air Force course "Masters in Military Aeronautics: aviator pilot specialist
Exclusion Criteria
- •military pilots on active duty before or after the tirocinium;
- •injured military pilots;
- •military pilots on sudden lifestyle changes (as in: starting or quitting smoking habits; starting or quitting any kind of medication; starting a new diet)
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Changes in Stress and HRV
Time Frame: measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values)
Heart rate variability measured with Polar H10 portable device
Changes in Operative performance
Time Frame: measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values)
Flight times to complete tasks in the flight simulator and report from the flight simulator controler
Changes in Vestibular system control responses
Time Frame: measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values)
Postural control responses through CoP displacement measured with a portable force platform Biosignals Plux with data sampled at 1000 Hz and electrode impedance below 5 kΩ. Preprocessing performed using the EEGLAB toolbox, which is available for use in MATLAB (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA). Data downsampled to 100 Hz.
Secondary Outcomes
- Aviation Safety Attitude Scale - Changes in cognitive habilities(measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values))
- Changes in Body composition(measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values))
- Changes in Lung capacity(measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values))
- Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire - Changes in cognitive habilities(measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values))
- Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Questionnaire - Changes in cognitive habilities(measured at 12 weeks (versus baseline values))
Investigators
Sara Alexandra Goncalves Santos
Principal Investigator
University of Évora