Development, validation, and feasibility of a yoga module for individuals with primary dysmenorrhea

A BSTRACT Background: Yoga is useful for promoting women’s health. Although studies have indicated the beneficial role of yoga in managing primary dysmenorrhea (PD), a standard yoga protocol for alleviating menstrual cramps and pain is lacking. This study aimed to design, validate, and test the feasibility of a standard yoga module for PD. Methods: This study was conducted in three phases. In Phase I, three yoga experts reviewed the classical and contemporary literature to design an integrated yoga module for PD. In Phase II, 25 yoga therapy experts with at least 5 years of experience rated the practices on a 3-point scale for usefulness. The module was validated using the Lawshe content-validity ratio (CVR) method. Practices with a CVR >0.4 were retained. In Phase III, a certified yoga instructor administered the validated module to 15 individuals with dysmenorrhea (average age: 19.5 ± 1.7 years), three times weekly for 1 month. Feasibility was assessed based on attrition, retention, attendance, and subjective responses using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey, Visual Analog Scale, and WaLIDD scores. Results: A total of 38 Integrated Approach to Yoga Therapy (IAYT) practices were selected for validation. Of these, 29 practices had a CVR score of ≥0.4, indicating high content validity, whereas 9 practices scored <0.4, reflecting lower content validity. Significant improvements were observed in quality of life, pain duration, and pain intensity ( p < 0.05), with a high adherence rate, indicating the feasibility of the module. Conclusion: The developed yoga module demonstrated strong content validity. The standardized module can be used in future clinical trials of yoga for PD.