Multicenter Trial of Meditation and Health Education for Cardiometabolic Disease in Black Women

Overview

This randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of stress reduction with meditation to a health education (HE) group in 201 older African American women over a one-year study period. They were randomly allocated to either of two behavioral treatment groups-the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or a health education (HE) program. Participants were recruited, tested, and instructed at two clinical sites: Howard University Hospital, Washington, DC and Morehouse (School of Medicine) Healthcare, Atlanta, GA. Main outcome measures were carotid intima-media thickness, insulin resistance, and behavioral factors.

This was a randomized controlled trial that compared the effects of stress reduction using the Transcendental Meditation technique (TM) to a health education (HE) group in 201 African American women \>55 years with CVD or at high CVD risk over a one-year intervention and follow-up period. All participants were randomly allocated to either of two behavioral treatment groups-1) the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program or 2) a health education (HE) program of healthy diet, exercise and substance use control. Women participants were recruited, tested, and instructed at two sites:139 were recruited and randomized in Washington, DC and 61 in Atlanta, GA. Outcome measures were carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), insulin resistance, serum lipids, blood pressure and lifestyle (diet, exercise, substance use).

Conditions