Primary Submission Category: Interventions/Programs
Advancing equity in lupus chronic pain through a yoga-based coaching intervention: A community-engaged feasibility study
Authors: Rachel Bergmans, J. Michelle Kahlenberg, Dominique Kinnett-Hopkins,
Presenting Author: Rachel Bergmans*
Chronic pain disproportionately affects Black women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), representing a critical need for equitable solutions. Despite effective treatment of SLE disease activity, many individuals have debilitating chronic pain that is inadequately treated with steroids and opioid medications, which carry significant risks with long-term use. Integrative treatment modalities, like yoga, can alleviate chronic pain in other chronic inflammatory conditions, but evidence supporting their consideration for SLE chronic pain remains elusive. To address this gap, we developed a multicomponent, person-centered, and yoga-based coaching program for SLE chronic pain, called MiPAL, that draws from motivational interviewing principles and social cognitive theory. Instead of assigning a regimented yoga practice, MiPAL is tailored based individual preferences and limitations with the support of a health coach who encourages participants to take ownership of their goals for behavior change. As an interdisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, and people who have lived experience with SLE, we are focused on the need for safer, more effective, and more equitable SLE pain management. When designing MiPAL, we prioritized Black perspectives to overcome inequities in SLE care and research conduct. This study aims to 1) determine MiPAL’s feasibility using a pragmatic trial (n=15) and 2) increase MiPAL’s acceptability and accessibility among Black women through a community-engaged approach that includes focus groups and qualitative interviews. Our findings will inform the broader field of pain science on the value of community-engaged and person-centered interventions for advancing equity in pain care. We expect preliminary data for dissemination by September 2025.