Participant Experiences in Using a Telehealth Mindful Exercise Program for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Qualitative Study

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Mind-Body Therapies

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) significantly impacts quality of life.
• Telehealth interventions offer potential for remote management of chronic conditions like OA.
• Mindful exercise combines physical activity with mindfulness techniques to address both physical and psychological aspects of pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability of an 8-week, group-based, telehealth mindful exercise program for individuals with knee OA.
• To identify factors influencing the acceptability of this intervention using the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA).

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study nested within a randomized controlled trial (N=40).
• Remote, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants from the mindful exercise arm.
• Inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts mapped onto TFA constructs.

Main Results:

• Eight key themes emerged, including openness to treatments, exercise/equipment challenges, varied mindfulness perceptions, and physical/psychological benefits.
• The group telehealth format was generally acceptable and enhanced adherence.
• Challenges included the 2-hour weekly time commitment, independent mindfulness practice, and equipment needs.

Conclusions:

• The mindful exercise intervention demonstrated general acceptability among individuals with knee OA.
• Recommendations for enhancing future interventions include adjusting exercise types/equipment, providing more mindfulness support, and offering flexible formats.
• Patient-centered modifications are crucial for optimizing mindfulness-based exercise programs for knee OA.