DESIGN AND VALIDATION OF A THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROTOCOL FOR PATIENTS WITH MILD TO MODERATE PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) significantly impacts motor function, balance, and quality of life. While yoga interventions show promise for PD management, standardized, validated protocols are lacking.
Objective: To develop and validate a comprehensive yoga module specifically designed for individuals with Parkinson's disease using rigorous content validity assessment.
Methods: A two-phase study was conducted: (1) systematic development of a yoga protocol based on literature review and expert consultation, and (2) content validity assessment using Lawshe's Content Validity Ratio (CVR) method. A panel of 40 subject matter experts evaluated 23 proposed yoga practices on a 10-point scale. Practices with CVR ≥ 0.30 were retained in the final module.
Results: Of 23 initially proposed practices, 19 met the critical CVR threshold and were retained (retention rate: 82.6%). The highest consensus was achieved for OM Chanting (CVR = 1.00), Nadishodhan Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama, Body scan in Shavasana, and Closing with Nadanusandhan (all CVR = 0.95). The overall Content Validity Index (I-CVI) was 0.69, indicating high content validity.
Conclusions: A validated, seven-phase yoga protocol for Parkinson's disease was successfully developed with strong expert consensus. This evidence-based module provides a standardized framework for yoga interventions in PD rehabilitation.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, yoga therapy, content validity, rehabilitation, complementary medicine.