None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
People who complete mindfulness or exercise programs tend to report improvements in mental health such as a reduction in psychological stress and an increase in wellbeing. The aim of this research project is to evaluate a newly developed mindfulness and aerobic exercise program and its effects on mental health (and on factors related to mental health) when compared to doing nothing at all. This program may go on to be used as a health and wellbeing program in the broader community.
Interventions
Concurrent Mindfulness and Exercise Intervention
Intervention Duration: 8 weeks
Distribution: All materials will be delivered online (e.g., via a webpage accessible with individual log-in details that will be made available to participants at the beginning of the trial). New materials will be made available on a weekly basis (e.g., each subsequent Monday).
Exercise Component:
The exercise component of this intervention will comprise low intensity to vigorous intensity activities that do not i
Concurrent Mindfulness and Exercise Intervention Intervention Duration: 8 weeks Distribution: All materials will be delivered online (e.g., via a webpage accessible with individual log-in details that will be made available to participants at the beginning of the trial). New materials will be made available on a weekly basis (e.g., each subsequent Monday). Exercise Component: The exercise component of this intervention will comprise low intensity to vigorous intensity activities that do not involve external equipment, do not involve jumping, and which are apartment friendly. Frequency: Three sessions per week (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday) Individual Session Duration: Aim for at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes per session Intensity: Light to moderate intensity (week 1 to 4) increasing to moderate to vigorous intensity (week 5 to 8). Modality: Body movement exercises (e.g., squats, leg raises, push-ups, sit-ups). Delivery: Guided through pre-recorded video instructions hosted online (e.g., a website) Mindfulness Component: The mindfulness component of this intervention will involve guided and unguided meditation practices up to 10 minutes in length. This may involve 3 - 4 different guided meditation practices per week (e.g., mindfulness of breath) and metronome beat recordings of up to 10 minutes to allow participants to perform unguided meditation (e.g., mindfulness of breath to a metronome beat). The frequency of use of particular guided and unguided meditation sessions will be at the participants' discretion. Frequency: Daily sessions (e.g., Monday through Sunday) Individual Session Duration: Aim for 10 minutes per day (but anything is better than nothing, e.g., 1 – 2 minutes is sufficient). Intensity: N/A Modality: Mindfulness of breath, body, sound, loving-kindness meditation. Habit Training Delivery: Guided through pre-recorded audio files hosted online (e.g., a website) Additional Training Components: In addition to the exercise and mindfulness activities, participants will listen to short weekly video instructions on: (1) goal setting and scheduling; (2) improving exercise performance; (3) mindfulness psychoeducation; and (4) cognitive-behaviour therapy techniques for reducing distress. Frequency: One session per week with separate homework activities completed at the participants' discretion throughout the week (example: spending time scheduling exercise and meditation sessions in a personal timetable). Duration: Approximately 15 minutes with separate homework activities completed at the participants' discretion throughout the week. Intensity: N/A Modality: Scheduling, daily planning, etc. Delivery: Guided through pre-recorded video files hosted online (e.g., a website) Adherence Requirements: As a pragmatic trial there are no adherence requirements. To be reimbursed, participants will also have to access the study online portal (e.g., website) at least once per week for at least four of the eight weeks of the program. Adherence Tracking: Adherence to the program will be measured through weekly self-report to the Mindfulness Adherence Questionnaire (measuring quality and quantity of participants’ mindfulness practice over the past week; Hassed et al., 2021) and asking them on what days they completed mental/physical training. Objective usage data will also be collected (i.e., when participants access the online portal for the intervention materials). References: Hassed, C., Flighty, A., Chambers, R., Hosemans, D., Bailey, N., Connaughton, S., Lee, S., & Kazantzis, N. (2021). Advancing the Assessment of Mindfulness-Based Meditation Practice: Psychometric Evaluation of the Mindfulness Adherence Questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 45(1), 190–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-020-10150-z
Sponsors
ISN Psychology
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 44 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. You are proficient in English . For individuals whose first language is English, evidence of proficiency can include completion of secondary or higher education studies in English. For individuals whose first language is not English, evidence of proficiency can include a sufficient score on a language skills test (e.g., overall IELTS score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0). 2. You consent to being randomly allocated to a treatment or no-treatment group and understand that it is essential to remain part of that group for the duration of the study even if it is not your preferred outcome. 3. You consent to being contacted by researchers via email and mobile phone for the duration of the study. 4. You consent to all responses provided in this study being stripped of identifying information and deposited in a scientific public database (osf.io) for independent verification of results and for use of these data in future research for the betterment of human knowledge. 5. You consent to your name and email address being shared with the ISN Psychology Accounts department for the purpose of providing reimbursement. 6. You currently reside in Australia and plan to remain in Australia for the full duration of this study.
Exclusion criteria
1. Have typically engaged in more than 150 minutes of exercise per week over the past three months. 2. Have typically engaged in more than 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation per week over the past three months. 3. Currently have symptoms or a history of: acute injury, chronic injury, pain (e.g., any kind of musculoskeletal pain that affects bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, or muscles), a thermoregulatory disorder (e.g., heat stress disorder where sweat doesn’t evaporate fast enough to cool the body), a chronic disease of any kind (e.g., heart disease, arthritis, kidney disease, diabetes, or are being treated for cancer or have recently completed cancer treatment), high blood pressure, or become dizzy, lightheaded, or faint with exercise or exertion. 4. BMI is greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 5. Are currently pregnant or have a suspected pregnancy Responding with yes to any of the following screening questions as assessed by the Adult Pre-exercise Screening System: 1. Has your medical practitioner ever told you that you have a heart condition, or have you ever suffered a stroke? (if yes, excluded) 2. Do you ever experience unexplained pains or discomfort in your chest at rest or during physical activity/exercise? (if yes, excluded) 3. Do you ever feel faint, dizzy or lose balance during physical activity/exercise? (if yes, excluded) 4. Have you had an asthma attack requiring immediate medical attention at any time over the last 12 months? (if yes, excluded) 5. If you have diabetes (type 1 or 2) have you had trouble controlling your blood sugar (glucose) in the last 3 months? (if yes, excluded) 6. Do you have any other conditions that may require special consideration for you to exercise? (if yes, excluded)
Outcome results
None listed