Meditation smartphone application effects on prehypertensive adults’ blood pressure: Dose-response feasibility trial.

Abstract

<div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S1"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d4580281e170">Objective</h5> <p id="P1">Essential hypertension (EH) is the most common chronic disease in the United States and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Lifestyle interventions (e.g., diet, exercise, stress management) to reduce blood pressure (BP) are often complex with varying effectiveness. Breathing awareness meditation (BAM) is a stress management strategy with encouraging effects on BP, though widespread dissemination is hampered by the lack of an easy-to-use methodology to train and monitor BAM practices. A smartphone application (Tension Tamer, TT) that implements BAM and tracks adherence has shown promise in addressing these gaps. This 6-month dose-response feasibility trial evaluated effects of the app on BP to further optimize BAM user guidelines. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S2"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d4580281e175">Methods</h5> <p id="P2">Sixty-four adults with pre-hypertension were randomized to complete TT-guided BAM sessions for 5-, 10-, or 15-minute intervals twice daily over 6 months. Continuous heart rate readings derived from the phone’s video camera via reflective photoplethysmography were used as feedback and as an index of time-stamped adherence. Outcomes (resting BP, HR) were collected at baseline, 1-, 3-, and 6-months. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S3"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d4580281e180">Results</h5> <p id="P3">Mixed modeling results showed a significant time effect for systolic BP (SBP) with a dose-response effect at months 3 and 6. Adherence declined over time and was lowest in the 15-minute dose condition, though SBP reductions were maintained. Generally, adherence was negatively associated with dose as the study progressed. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S4"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d4580281e185">Conclusions</h5> <p id="P4">Smartphone-implemented BAM appears to reduce SBP and can be a low cost method to reach large populations. </p> </div>