Guided Meditation and Stress-Induced Eating

University of California, Los Angeles943 enrolled

Overview

The aim of this study is to test the effects of a digital meditation intervention in a sample of UCLA employees who report mild to moderate stress. We will randomize University of California Los Angeles employees to either 8-weeks of a digital meditation intervention (using the commercially available application Headspace) or a waitlist control condition.

The aim of this study is to test the effects of a digital meditation intervention in a sample of UCLA employees who report mild to moderate stress. UCLA employees will be randomized to either 8-weeks of a digital meditation intervention (using the commercially available application Headspace) or a waitlist control condition. Participants who are assigned to the intervention group will be asked to download and use the Headspace mobile application for at least 10 minutes per day for 8 weeks. All participants will be asked to fill out short (no longer than 25 minutes) questionnaires at baseline, week 4, week 8 (post intervention), and a 4-month follow up period. Among participants who are randomized to the digital meditation intervention, they will also take part in a 1-year follow up. All activities will take place online (via computer or smartphone). Prior to randomization, participants will complete an eligibility screening and complete the baseline questionnaire battery. The entirety of the study is digital and there are no in-person assessments. Adherence will be tracked remotely. The goal is to recruit as many as 1000 participants (500 per condition).

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

943

Conditions

Stress-induced Eating

Interventions

MeditationBEHAVIORAL

Ten minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks using a mobile application

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Have access to a smartphone or computer everyday * Are fluent in English * Are a University of California, Los Angeles employee * Report mild to moderate levels of stress * Consent: demonstrate understanding of the study and willingness to participate as evidenced by voluntary informed consent and has received a signed and dated copy of the informed consent * Are at least 18 years of age Exclusion Criteria: * You may not join if you are an experienced meditator or have participated in a formal meditation practice in the last 6 months (defined as once or more per week for a duration of 20 minutes or more at each practice)

Locations (1)

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Reductions in perceived stress as measured by the Perceived Stress Scale

Changes in the Perceived Stress Scale (range: 1-40; Cohen, Kamarck, \& Mermelstein, 1988). Higher scores indicate greater psychological distress.

Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks from baseline)

Secondary Outcomes

Reductions in stress-induced eating as measured by the Palatable Eating Motives Scale

Changes self-reporting using highly palatable foods to cope with stress, according to the Palatable Eating Motives Scale Coping subscale (range: 1-20) Burgess, Turan, Lokken, Morse, \& Boggiano, 2014). Higher scores indicate a higher likelihood of using palatable foods to cope with stress.

Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks from baseline)

Reductions in reward-based eating as measured by the Reward-based Eating Drive

Changes in self-reporting intrinsic rewards from consuming highly palatable foods, according to the Reward-based Eating Drive (RED) Scale (range: 1-45; Epel, et al. 2014). Higher scores indicate a greater reward response from consuming palatable foods.

Time frame: Baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks from baseline)

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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