This interventional study will investigate the effect of daily use of a mindfulness app on measures of participant anxiety, well-being, and future outlook during the Covid-19 pandemic, by comparing pre-intervention survey responses to post-intervention survey responses.
Question 1: Can 30 days of daily use of a mindfulness app during the Covid-19 pandemic reduce
anxiety and improve general well-being and future outlook? Outcomes measured: Pre- and
post-intervention surveys to assess well-being and anxiety (primary outcomes), future
outlook, hopefulness, and sleep habits (secondary outcomes). Many of these survey questions
come from well-validated surveys (WHO-5 Well-being survey, GAD7 Anxiety survey). Post
intervention surveys will be administered at the end of the 30d intervention, as well as 2
months after the completion of the 30d intervention.
Question 2: Can 30 days of daily use of a mindfulness app during the Covid-19 pandemic
improve nutritional habits? Outcomes measured: Pre- and post-intervention surveys to assess
general nutrition habits, including frequency of consuming whole foods (fruits, vegetables,
whole grains) and frequency of consuming prepared meals (secondary outcomes). Post
intervention surveys will be administered at the end of the 30d intervention, as well as 2
months after the completion of the 30d intervention.
Question 3: Will study participants be more likely to continue to use the mindfulness app
after completion of the study? Outcomes measured: Post-intervention survey administered at
the end of the 30d intervention will be used to assess likelihood to continue using app and
frequency of anticipated continued use. The post-intervention survey administered 2 months
after the completion of the 30d intervention will ask if participants continued to use the
app, and the frequency of use (secondary outcomes).
Behavioral: Meditation app usage
Investigators will confirm eligibility of applicants, enroll participants in the study and provide an identification number for de-identification of the data, and provide a list of mental health resources to participants. Participants will then be sent a link to a Google Form for the pre-intervention survey, to be completed prior to first use of the mindfulness app. Participants will also be given access to the mindfulness app (Insight Timer), and instructed to use it for 10 min daily for 30 days. Two days before the end of the 30 day intervention period, participants will be sent a link to a Google Form for the post-intervention survey and will be asked to complete the survey within the next 3 days. Two months after the conclusion of the 30 day intervention period, participants will be sent a link to a Google Form for another post-intervention survey, and asked to complete it within 5 days.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Participants must be 18 or older. Inclusion criteria are access to a smartphone and
ability to download the mindfulness app, fluency in English, and the ability to
complete surveys independently.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Exclusion criteria include current regular use of a mindfulness or meditation app,
regular practice of mindfulness or meditation, regular therapy sessions, inability to
complete surveys independently, or any mental health restrictions that would prevent
them from participating.
LECOM
Erie, Pennsylvania, United States
Diana Speelman, PhD, Principal Investigator
Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine