Impact of Mindful Walking Intervention on Daily Step Count

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
Mindful walking is a meditation practice that combines physical activity and mindfulness practice. This study examined whether a mindful walking intervention increased physical activity and improved health outcomes. The investigators conducted a randomized experiment among adults with inadequate physical activity, whereby the intervention group received a four-week, one-hour-per-week mindful walking intervention and the control group received instructions to increase physical activity (N=38). Participants in both groups received a wrist-worn step count device as participation incentive. Physical activity and health outcomes were measured with an online survey and data obtained from the wearable device at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and one month after the intervention (T3).

Official Title
-----------------
Impact of Mindful Walking Intervention on Daily Step Count: A Pilot Study

Conditions
-----------------
Physical Inactivity

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Behavioral: Mindful Walking


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: Adults over age 18 Able to read and understand English Exclusion Criteria: Student athletes Medical condition that limits slow-paced walking for 20 minutes

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Mindful Walking<br>Four weekly 60 minute sessions of mindful walking. | Behavioral: Mindful Walking<br>* Weekly 60 minute mindful walking sessions involving observations of bodily sensations, experiences, and breath. Discussion of mindful walking experiences and encouragement to meet physical activity goals.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control<br>Weekly email messages encouraging physical activity. | |

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity Scale | self-report scale of physical activity, with total score ranging from 1-10; higher scores indicate increased activity | one week | 
| Daily Step Counts | Fitbit-HR device data | one day | 
| Screen Time | self-report measure, 4 items assessing television and non-television time in number of hours | one week | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Perceived Stress Scale | self-report measure, total score ranges from 4 to 20, higher levels indicating higher levels of stress | one month | 
| Mental Health Inventory | self-report measure of health-related quality of life, total score ranging from 5 to 30, with higher levels indicating higher quality of life | one month | 
| Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale | self-report measure, total score ranging from 6 to 24, with higher levels indicating higher levels of depression symptoms | 7 days | 
| Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory | self-report measure, total score ranging from 14 to 56 with higher scores indicating higher levels of mindfulness skills | 7 days | 
| Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index | self-report measure, total score ranging from 7 to 28, with higher scores indicating worse sleep quality | one month |