Please contact mindfulsteps@bidmc.harvard.edu if you're interested in participating.
Mindful Steps is a research study conducted through Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Boston VA Hospital, and the University of Michigan. The goal of the study is to gather information about how a novel mind-body exercise program can promote physical activity among people who have been diagnosed with a chronic heart/lung condition.
Principal Investigator: Gloria Yeh, MD, MPH
The study has 2 groups, Group A and Group B, to which participants will be randomly assigned.
Group A participants will partake in a 12-month online mind-body exercise intervention, where classes will be group-based and synchronous. They will wear Fitbits during waking hours to track their daily steps. Daily step goals will be given weekly to participants and updated each week based on the prior week’s steps. Participants in Group A will additionally be given detailed instructions about the Mindful Steps website, with which they will engage daily.
Group B participants will not undergo any special interventions. Along with Group A participants, they will be given an educational booklet on the benefits of physical activity for individuals with heart disease or COPD. At the end of the study, they will be offered up to 3 mind-body exercise classes to partake in if they so choose and a Fitbit Inspire 3 device to keep.
For both groups, the study lasts 15 months. There will be 5 remote testing visits (each 45 minutes): one at the beginning of the study, and four follow-ups at 3 months, at 6 months, 12 months, and 15 months into the study.
Participants will receive total compensation of $200 for partaking in this study.