| Course | INHE 4001 Evidenced-Based Practices in Integrative and Holistic Healthcare |
|---|---|
| Week | Week 7 |
| Paper type | Gap analysis |
| Length | About 540 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Walden University |
| Program | BS in Integrative Health |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for INHE 4001 Week 7
What the Seven Sources Never Tested: A Gap Analysis on Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain Sorting Missing Evidence by Population, Comparison, Outcome and Setting
Student Name
Walden University
INHE 4001: Evidence-Based Practices in Integrative and Holistic Healthcare
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
What the Seven Sources Never Tested: A Gap Analysis on Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain Sorting Missing Evidence by Population, Comparison, Outcome and Setting
What a Gap Is Here
A gap is a question the gathered evidence never tested, or tested so thinly that no conclusion follows. It is different from a weakness in a study that did test the question, such as lack of blinding, which earlier weeks addressed. This analysis works from the seven sources in the evidence table and sorts what is missing into four kinds: population, comparison, outcome and setting. Each gap is marked untested, thinly tested or tested.
The Gaps
Table 1
Gaps in the evidence on yoga for chronic low back pain
| Kind | Question | Status | Basis in the sources | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Adults over 70 | Untested | Trials enrolled adults up to about 64 or 65 | |
| Population | Low-income and racially diverse adults | Thinly tested | One large trial focused on this group (Saper et al., 2017) | |
| Population | Veterans | Thinly tested | One trial of 150 veterans (Groessl et al., 2017) | |
| Comparison | Yoga versus a matched stretching class | Tested | One trial of 228 adults (Sherman et al., 2011) and the review's exercise comparisons | |
| Comparison | Yoga versus physical therapy | Thinly tested | One trial (Saper et al., 2017) | |
| Outcome | Function and pain over 3 to 12 months | Tested | Review and several trials | |
| Outcome | Effects beyond one year | Untested | No source followed participants past 12 months | |
| Outcome | Falls and balance in back pain populations | Untested | Not measured in any source | |
| Outcome | Cost to participants or programs | Thinly tested | Not reported in the trials summarized | |
| Setting | Community wellness centers or senior centers | Untested | Trials ran in research or health system settings | |
Status reflects only the seven sources in the evidence table; other literature may fill some gaps.
Three gaps are untested and matter directly to the center: older adults, effects beyond a year and community settings. The review itself noted that trials enrolled mostly middle-aged adults in specific countries (Wieland et al., 2017).
Why These Gaps Matter for the Decision
Many of the center's clients are past 65, some well into their seventies, while the trials enrolled few people beyond that age. That does not mean yoga is unsuitable for older clients, but it means the effect sizes in the appraisal cannot be assumed for them, and the risk of falls during standing poses was never measured. The setting gap matters too: research programs often have trained instructors, structured curricula and follow-up calls that a community class may lack, so real-world effects could be smaller.
What Is Tested Well Enough
Some questions are answered well enough to act on. Yoga's effect on function compared with usual care, and its rough equivalence to other exercise, rest on a review and several trials, including a large one against stretching (Sherman et al., 2011). The center can rely on those findings for adults under 65 in programs similar to the trials.
What the Gaps Suggest
For older clients, the center could offer a chair-based or modified class and track balance and falls. For all clients, it could record function before and after the 12-week program and again a year later, which would begin to fill two gaps from its own data.
References
Groessl, E. J., Liu, L., Chang, D. G., Wetherell, J. L., Bormann, J. E., Atkinson, J. H., Baxi, S., & Schmalzl, L. (2017). Yoga for military veterans with chronic low back pain: A randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(5), 599-608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2017.05.019
Saper, R. B., Lemaster, C., Delitto, A., Sherman, K. J., Herman, P. M., Sadikova, E., Stevans, J., Keosaian, J. E., Cerrada, C. J., Femia, A. L., Roseen, E. J., Gardiner, P., Gergen Barnett, K., Faulkner, C., & Weinberg, J. (2017). Yoga, physical therapy, or education for chronic low back pain: A randomized noninferiority trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 167(2), 85-94. https://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2579
Sherman, K. J., Cherkin, D. C., Wellman, R. D., Cook, A. J., Hawkes, R. J., Delaney, K., & Deyo, R. A. (2011). A randomized trial comparing yoga, stretching, and a self-care book for chronic low back pain. Archives of Internal Medicine, 171(22), 2019-2026. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2011.524
Wieland, L. S., Skoetz, N., Pilkington, K., Vempati, R., D'Adamo, C. R., & Berman, B. M. (2017). Yoga treatment for chronic non-specific low back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2017(1), Article CD010671. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010671.pub2
What the INHE 4001 Week 7 instructions ask for
Gap analysis assignments ask students to identify what the evidence they gathered does not address. Prompts usually ask students to categorize gaps, for example by population, intervention, comparison, outcome or setting, and to explain why each matters for practice. Some ask students to suggest how the gaps could be addressed. Instructors look for the difference between a question never tested and one tested poorly. Analyses that restate weaknesses of individual studies, or that list gaps without saying why they matter for the setting, usually earn less than analyses that classify gaps clearly and connect them to a real decision. Some prompts ask students to rank gaps by how much they matter for the setting.
How the INHE 4001 Week 7 example is put together
The analysis defines a gap and distinguishes it from study weaknesses. A table lists ten questions across four kinds with a status and its basis in the sources, with a note limiting the analysis to the seven sources. A paragraph names three untested gaps that matter most and cites the review's own remark about who was enrolled. A section explains why the age and setting gaps matter for the center's clients. A section names what is tested well enough to act on. A final section suggests how the center could begin to fill gaps from its own data. Each table row names the specific source that tested, or failed to test, the question. The analysis runs about two pages. A closing section turns two gaps into measures the center can collect itself.
Reading the INHE 4001 Week 7 rubric
Instructors generally reward clear categorization, and the four-kind table with a three-level status secures much of the grade. Separating gaps from weaknesses shows conceptual clarity. Basing every status on the specific sources, rather than general impression, earns credit for rigor. Connecting untested gaps to the setting's actual population is often where the strongest analyses stand out. Noting what is tested well enough prevents the analysis from implying nothing is known. Practical suggestions and accurate citations for four sources complete the work. Tying each status to named sources keeps the analysis from resting on impressions. Practical suggestions for filling gaps add value beyond description.
INHE 4001 Week 7 help from the desk
List your sources and, for each, note who was studied, what was compared, what was measured and where. Then ask what is missing across all of them. Sort the missing questions by kind and mark how thoroughly each was tested. Do not confuse a weak study with a missing one. Explain which gaps matter for your setting and why. Suggest something practical your setting could do. If the gaps in your evidence are hard to see, a sample analysis based on your evidence table can help. Mark each gap's status and the sources behind it.
Get a INHE 4001 Week 7 example written to your instructions
Gaps in your own evidence table will differ, and the grid is built from whichever sources you gathered and the question you set. Send the prompt, rubric and evidence table; the analysis comes back within 24-48h, and the first is free. Mention the categories your section names.
More INHE 4001 papers and BS in Integrative Health samples
- INHE 4001 Week 1: Three Sources Post
- INHE 4001 Week 2: Practice Question
- INHE 4001 Week 3: Search Documentation
- INHE 4001 Week 4: Evidence Table
- INHE 4001 Week 5: Appraisal Summary
- INHE 4001 Week 6: Conflicting Trials Post
- INHE 4001 Week 8: Recommendation Memo
- INHE 4001 Week 9: Implementation Brief
- INHE 4001 Week 10: Decision Case
- INHE 4001 Week 11: Evidence Limits Reflection
- INHE 4009 Week 7: Community Profile
- INHE 3004 Week 7: Consent Form Review
- INHE 3003 Week 7: Statistics Interpretation
- INHE 1005 Week 7: Source Evaluation
INHE 4001 Week 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free INHE 4001 Week 7 sample paper?
The gap analysis on yoga for chronic low back pain appears in full on this page.
What is a gap?
A question the evidence never tested or tested too thinly to support a conclusion.
Which gaps are untested?
Adults over 70, effects beyond a year, falls and community wellness settings.
What is tested well enough to act on?
Effects on function over three to twelve months and comparison with stretching.
How could the center fill gaps?
By offering chair-based options, tracking falls and measuring function before, after and a year later.