RESUMO
Background: This project aimed to assess the impact of yoga on stress, metabolic parameters and cognition (attention & concentration) in adolescents, aged 13-15 years from public and private schools in two cities (Chennai and New Delhi) in India. Methods: The study recruited 2000 adolescents from 24 schools in a cluster randomized controlled trial design. The yoga group participants underwent 17 yoga sessions, which included: pranayama, basic asanas, meditation and relaxation exercises. Yoga sessions, were held in the school premises once a week. A total of five awareness talks on healthy lifestyle were delivered once a month to the education group. ADOlescence Stress Scale (ADOSS), salivary cortisol, metabolic and clinical parameters and Letter Cancellation Test (LCT) score were measured at baseline and post-intervention (5-6 months). Results: The yoga group showed statistically significant differences in the mean ADOSS score, metabolic parameters, salivary cortisol, and LCT scores compared to the education group. In the intention- to- treat analysis, a significant reduction [5.11, 95% CI (4.78, 5.36), p = 0.001] in ADOSS score was seen in the yoga group compared to education. Conclusion: Implementation of a 17-week standardized yoga program at the school level significantly decreased stress, improved attention and concentration, metabolic and clinical parameters in Indian adolescents. Trial registration: Clinical Trials Registry, India (CTRI/2017/08/009203).
RESUMO
Background: Stress levels increase tremendously in adolescence. Indian adolescents derive much of their stress from school and family pressures. Developing a standardized tool to assess adolescent stress can help early diagnosis. This article aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the ADOlescence Stress Scale (ADOSS). Methods: ADOSS was administrated by trained interviewers to 100 adolescents (10-17 years) of both sexes in Chennai, South India. Salivary cortisol was used as an objective measure of stress in 40 adolescents. Reliability was assessed within a two weeks interval. Exploratory factor analysis was done for the baseline ADOSS scores. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and spilt-half correlation), test-retest agreement (Kappa value), and inter-rater reliability (ICC) were assessed. Pearson correlation between salivary cortisol and ADOSS score was done. Results: The inter-factor correlation between the inherent four ADOSS factors (personal, academic, family, and social) was between 0.73 and 0.87, and split-half correlation was between 0.70 and 0.83, showing that the factors are reliable and coherent. Test-retest agreement was Kappa: 0.63, P = 0.001, and ICC was 0.84. Pearson correlation showed a statistically significant positive correlation between cortisol levels and ADOSS scores (r = 0.87, P = 0.001). Conclusion: ADOSS is a reliable and valid tool to assess the overall stress of Indian adolescents in the age group of 10-17 years.
