The Gamification of Meditation: A Randomized-Controlled Study of a Prescribed Mobile Mindfulness Meditation Application in Reducing College Students’ Depression

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Fish ◽  
Amelia D. Saul
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Symptom Severity ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Depression Symptom ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
Experimental Group

Objective. Roughly 35% of college students report depression as a significant concern, which unaddressed, can lead to an increased likelihood to quit school and develop comorbid conditions. Traditional depression interventions are useful; however, they are often expensive, stigmatizing, tedious, and time-intensive. We examined a prescribed mindfulness meditation regimen, which incorporates gamification principles, in reducing symptoms of depression compared to a control group. Materials and methods. We recruited and randomly assigned 72 college students to an experimental group (n = 33) or a control group (n = 39). The prescription for experimfiental group participants was ten 10-minute mobile mindfulness meditation sessions over a 14-day period; control group participants continued with business as usual. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to test our hypothesis. Results. Repeated-measures ANOVA demonstrated a significant interaction of group by time for depression scores, supporting the hypothesis that experimental group participants would significantly decrease their depression symptom severity compared to control group participants post-intervention. Within-subjects contrasts and between-group analyses showed a significant decrease in depression symptom severity scores. Conclusion. Prescribed use of a gamified mindfulness meditation application significantly decreased depression symptom severity as measured by the PHQ-9. College students and mental health providers should consider these fun, inexpensive, and non-stigmatizing applications as a feasible intervention for college students to improve symptoms associated with depression.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Abdominal and Gluteus Medius Training in Lumbo-Pelvic Stability and Adductor Strength in Female Soccer Players. A Randomized Controlled Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1528
Author(s):  
Héctor Guerrero-Tapia ◽  
Rodrigo Martín-Baeza ◽  
Rubén Cuesta-Barriuso
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Gluteus Medius ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Limb Injuries ◽  
Experimental Group

Background. Abdominal and lumbo-pelvic stability alterations may be the origin of lower limb injuries, such as adductor pathology in soccer players. Imbalance can be caused by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial over 8 weeks, 25 female footballers were randomly allocated to an experimental group (isometric abdominal training and gluteus medius-specific training) or a control group (isometric abdominal training). Evaluations were performed at baseline, at the end of the intervention and after a 4-week follow-up period. The exercise protocol in common for both groups included three exercises: Plank, Lateral plank and Bird dog. Specific exercises for the gluteus medius were: Pelvic drop and Stabilization of the gluteus medius in knee valgus. Outcome measures were lumbar-pelvic stability and adductor strength. Results: After the intervention, there was an increase in lumbo-pelvic stability in both groups, being greater in the control group than in the experimental group (mean differences [MD]: 4.84 vs. MD: 9.58; p < 0.01) with differences in the analysis of repeated measures (p < 0.001), but not in group interaction (p = 0.26). Changes were found in adductor strength in the experimental group (MD: −2.48; p < 0.001 in the left adductor; MD: −1.48; p < 0.01 in right adductor) and control group (MD: −1.68; p < 0.001 in the left adductor; MD: −2.05; p < 0.001 in the right adductor) after the intervention, with differences in the analysis of repeated measures in left (p < 0.001) and right (p < 0.001) adductor strength. Conclusions: An abdominal and gluteal training protocol shows no advantage over a protocol of abdominal training alone for lumbo-pelvic stability and adductor strength, while improvements in both variables are maintained at four weeks follow-up.

Neutral douche: a hydrotherapeutic tool to manage pain and systemic symptoms in primary dysmenorrhea - a randomised controlled study

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sataz Rahmania ◽  
Vanitha Shetty ◽  
Balakrishnan Ragavendrasamy
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Pharmacological Intervention ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mcgill Pain Questionnaire ◽  
Primary Dysmenorrhea ◽  
Primary Dysmenorrhoea ◽  
Systemic Symptoms ◽  
Experimental Group

AbstractBackground & ObjectivesThe douche, one of the hydrotherapeutic treatment modality is commonly used by Naturopathy physicians as a treatment of choice in the management of several ailments. This study was done to assess the effect of full body neutral douche in the management of pain and systemic symptoms in adult females with primary dysmenorrhoea.Methods68 subjects of age 18-22 years with primary dysmenorrhoea were recruited for the study and were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group (n = 34) and the control group (n = 34). The experimental group received whole body neutral douche, whereas the control group followed the routine as usual. Assessments for the pain, systemic symptoms and menstrual cramps were done by using McGill Pain Questionnaire, Verbal multidimensional scoring system and analog scale for severity of pain and menstrual cramps respectively at baseline, day 30 and day 60 of intervention. Two- way repeated measures of ANOVA was performed to understand the between group changes, adjusted for the respective baseline values and age.ResultData was analyzed with SPSS (Version 21.0) package. Neutral douche resulted in significant improvement in pain [F(2,66) = 114.564, p < 0.0005, partial ?2 = 0.771], severity of pain [F(2,66) = 70.418, p < 0.0005, partial ?2 = 0.681], cramps [F(2,66) = 75.986, p < 0.0005, partial ?2 = 0.697] and systemic symptoms [F(2,66) = 14.64, p < 0.0005, partial ?2 = 0.307] as compared to the control group.ConclusionFindings suggest that neutral douche can be used as a non-pharmacological intervention in the management of pain and systemic symptoms in primary dysmenorrhea.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Abdominal and Gluteus Medius Training in Lumbo-pelvic Stability and Adductor Strength in Women Soccer Players. A Randomized Controlled Study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor Guerrero-Tapia ◽  
Rodrigo Martín-Baeza ◽  
Rubén Cuesta-Barriuso
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Gluteus Medius ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Limb Injuries ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background: Abdominal and lumbo-pelvic stability alterations may origin lower limb injuries, such as for example adductor pathology in soccer players. Imbalance can be caused by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Methods: This randomized controlled trial conducted over an 8-week period included 25 female footballers randomly allocated to an experimental group (isometric abdominal training and gluteus medius-specific training) or a control group (isometric abdominal training). The exercise protocol in common for both groups included three exercises: Plank, Lateral plank and Bird dog. Specific exercises for the gluteus medius were: Pelvic drop and Stabilization of the gluteus medius in knee valgus. Outcome measures were lumbo-pelvic stability and adductor strength.Results. Lumbo-pelvic stability after surgery was higher in the control group (MD: 4.84 vs MD: 9.58; p < .01) with differences in the analysis of repeated measures (p<.001), but not in group interaction (p =.26). Changes were found in adductor strength in the experimental group (MD: -2.48; p<.001 in the left adductor; MD: -1.48; p<.01 in right adductor) and control group (MD: -1.68; p<.001 in the left adductor; MD: -2.05; p<.001 in the right adductor) after the intervention, with differences in the analysis of repeated measures in left (p<.001) and right (p<.001) adductor strength.Conclusions. An abdominal and gluteal training protocol shows no advantage over a protocol of abdominal training alone for lumbo-pelvic stability and adductor strength and flexibility, while improvements are maintained at four weeks follow-up. Trial Registration Number: NCT03617887.

Evaluation of Genotoxicity and Efficacy of At-home Bleaching in Smokers: A Single-blind Controlled Clinical Trial

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. E47-E55 ◽  
Author(s):  
JL de Geus ◽  
M Rezende ◽  
LS Margraf ◽  
MC Bortoluzzi ◽  
E Fernández ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Smoking Habit ◽  
Gingival Tissue ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Controlled Clinical Trial ◽  
Shade Guide ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Single Blind ◽  
At Home

SUMMARY Objective This single-blind controlled study evaluated the genotoxicity and efficacy of at-home bleaching in smokers and nonsmokers. Methods We selected 60 patients with central incisors A2 or darker: 30 smokers (experimental group) and 30 nonsmokers (control group). The bleaching was carried out with 10% carbamide peroxide for three hours a day for three weeks. The color was evaluated using a shade guide, Vita Bleachedguide 3D-Master, at baseline, during bleaching (first, second, and third weeks), and one week and one month after bleaching. Smears were obtained with a moistened wooden spatula from marginal gingiva. All the cytologic smears were stained with Giemsa solution. From each slide, 1000 cells were examined under 40× magnification and where micronuclei (MN) were located, they were examined under 100× magnification. The change in shade guide units at the different assessment periods and the frequency of MN were subjected to a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance and Tukey test (α=0.05). Results In both groups we detected a whitening of approximately 4 to 5 shade guide units, without color rebound after one month (p&gt;0.05). The frequency of MN was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group, regardless of the bleaching treatment (p&gt;0.001). Conclusion The efficacy of bleaching does not appear to be affected by the smoking habit. Additionally, at-home bleaching did not induce DNA damage to the gingival tissue during the bleaching period.

scholarly journals Meditation Effects on Anxiety and Resilience of Preadolescents and Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Study

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 689
Author(s):  
Alexandra Gomes ◽  
Joana Vieira dos Santos ◽  
Luís Sérgio Vieira
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Externalizing Behavior ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Quiet Time ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

Meditation has been described as having a positive impact on well-being while reducing anxiety and stress among those who practice, mainly working as a resource to cope with everyday difficulties. As a simple and easy to apply meditation technique, transcendental meditation (TM) has shown promising results in adults and in children, although more studies are needed to show the impact on psychological and behavioral dimensions in children and adolescents. This quasi-experimental, pre-test–post-test study, with a control group, aimed to evaluate the impact of TM on the stress and resilience of children and adolescents, with ages between 9 and 16 years old. Participants were selected within schools which implemented the Quiet Time Program (QT), from those who volunteered to participate. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group (immediate TM learning) and to a control group (delayed TM learning). A repeated measures ANOVA showed an interaction of time and group on externalizing behavior, from the strengths and difficulties measure. The experimental group decreased on externalizing less adjusted behaviors, while the control group increased in this aspect, after a twelve-week period. TM failed to reduce anxiety and to contribute to resilience in the TM experimental group. Both groups improved anxiety indicators. The results might suggest students were acting upon their expectation of improvement on practicing TM or solely modifying their behavior along the contextual factors, which affected both groups equally.

Morphometric analysis of peroxisomes in hepatocytes of alcohol-fed rats

1989 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 1100-1101
Author(s):  
D.C. Dominguez ◽  
J.T. Ellzey
Keyword(s):  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Volume Density ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Numerical Density ◽  
Cacodylate Buffer ◽  
Paired Control ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Liver Peroxisomes ◽  
Single Lesion

Peroxisomes which participate in 1ipid metabolism have been shown to be altered in several metabolic disorders and toxic conditions. In alcoholic liver disease, the single lesion most frequently found is lipid accumu1ation in hepatocytes. However, the mechanisms for this 1ipid accumu1ation are not clear. The occurrence of modifications of liver peroxisomes due to excess alcohol consumption has not been subjected to a controlled study. We utilized a combination of cytochemica1 and morphometrictechniques to study the size and number of liver peroxisomes in rats fed an alcohol-supplemented diet compared to those of matched-paired control animals.Male Sprague-Daw1ey rats (400-500 g) received a liquid diet. The experimental group (N = 5/group) was fed a diet containing 30% ethanol-derived calories (EDC) and the control group was fed an isocaloric diet to 30% EDC. A pair feeding procedure was employed to control for caloric intake. Small pieces of liver randomly selected, were fixed in 2.3% -glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate buffer, pH 7.2, incubated in a DAB medium and postfixed with. 2% aqueous osmium tetroxide. EM photographs were taken from sections of 3 tissue blocks from each sample (7,200X) with a Zeiss EM10-A (60 kV). With the use of a point counting method and a digital planimeter the volume density (Vv) and numerical density (Nv) were determined.

scholarly journals Feasibility of using a biofeedback device in mindfulness training - a pilot randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna Lin ◽  
Christopher Prickett ◽  
Steven Woltering
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Test Procedures ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Biofeedback Device

Abstract Background Stress can negatively impact an individual’s health and well-being and high levels of stress are noted to exist among college students today. While traditional treatment methods are plagued with stigma and transfer problems, newly developed wearable biofeedback devices may offer unexplored possibilities. Although these products are becoming commonplace and inexpensive, scientific evidence of the effectiveness of these products is scarce and their feasibility within research contexts are relatively unexplored. Conversely, companies are not required, and possibly reluctant, to release information on the efficacy of these products against their claims. Thus, in the present pilot, we assess the feasibility of using a real-time respiratory-based biofeedback device in preparation for a larger study. Our main aims were to assess device-adherence and collaboration with the company that develops and sells the device. Method Data were collected from 39 college students who self-identified as experiencing chronic stress at a Southwestern university in the USA. Students were randomized into either a mindfulness-only control group without a biofeedback device (n = 21), or an experimental group with biofeedback device (n = 18). Both groups received mindfulness meditation training. Pre-test and post-test procedures were conducted 2 weeks apart. Further, both participant compliance and company compliance were assessed and collaboration with the company was evaluated. Results Participant device-adherence as well as the company’s collaboration necessary for a full-scale study was determined to be low. This may also have affected our results which showed a strong main effect for time for all outcome variables, suggesting all groups showed improvement in their levels of stress after the intervention period. No group by time effects were identified, however, indicating no added benefit of the biofeedback device. Conclusions Our findings suggest feasibility of future studies requires full collaboration and detailed and agreed upon data sharing procedures with the biofeedback company. The particular device under investigation added no value to the intervention outcomes and it was not feasible to continue a larger-scale study. Further, as the technology sector is innovating faster than it can validate products, we urge for open science collaborations between public and private sectors to properly develop evidence-based regulations that can withstand technological innovation while maintaining product quality, safety, and effectiveness. Trial registration NCT02837016. Registered 19 July 2016.

scholarly journals Efficacy of axial TheraTogs on gait pattern in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamekh Mohamed El-Shamy ◽  
Ehab Mohamed Abd El Kafy
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Gait Pattern ◽  
Controlled Study ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Experimental Group

Abstract Background TheraTogs promotes proprioceptive sense of a child with cerebral palsy and improves abnormal muscle tone, posture alignment, balance, and gait. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of TheraTogs orthotic undergarment on gait pattern in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy. Thirty children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy were selected for this randomized controlled study. They were randomly assigned to (1) an experimental group that received TheraTogs orthotic undergarment (12 h/day, 3 days/week) plus traditional physical therapy for 3 successive months and (2) a control group that received only traditional physical therapy program for the same time period. Gait parameters were measured at baseline and after 3 months of intervention using Pro-Reflex motion analysis. Results Children in both groups showed significant improvements in the gait parameters (P < 0.05), with significantly greater improvements in the experimental group than in the control group. Conclusions The use of TheraTogs may have a positive effect to improve gait pattern in children with dyskinetic cerebral palsy. Trial registration This trial was registered in the ClinicalTrial.gov PRS (NCT03037697).

Olfactory Stimulation of Preterm Infants with Breast Milk

2021 ◽  
pp. 105477382110189
Author(s):  
Woon Ae Lee ◽  
Jin Suk Ra
Keyword(s):  
Breast Milk ◽  
Preterm Infants ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Nursing Intervention ◽  
Olfactory Stimulation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Repeated Measures Analysis ◽  
Equivalent Control ◽  
Experimental Group

Maintaining stable physiological responses may be important for the growth and development of preterm infants. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the effects of olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk on the occurrence of abnormal physiological responses in preterm infants. With a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design, 13 preterm infants in the experimental group and 18 preterm infants in the control group completed the intervention. The intervention was implemented three times a day for 5 days in a row with 2 hours of administration per intervention. The frequency of abnormal physiological responses was assessed over 6 days (one day before intervention administration and 5 days during intervention administration). With repeated-measures analysis of variance, the experimental group showed a significantly lower frequency of apnea than the control group ( p = .021). Olfactory stimulation with maternal breast milk may be an effective nursing intervention for reducing apnea episodes in preterm infants.

Influence of Tobacco on Physical Fitness Recovery of College Students After Sports

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 3445-3451
Author(s):  
Chen Yake
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Exercise Time ◽  
Activity Intensity ◽  
Group I ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Experimental Group

Objectives: In this paper, the effects of tobacco on aerobic exercise ability and physical fitness recovery of college students were studied. Methods: University group sports intervention form: traditional characteristic project (basketball) + Taiji soft ball (R&D intervention project). Exercise time: 3 times/week; Activity duration: 30min; Activity intensity: the heart rate is controlled at 120-140 beats/min. All the college students in the experimental group are students who have never smoked, and the college students in the control group are students who have smoked for more than two years. The other conditions are the same. Results: The exercise time and endurance of experimental groups I and II were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the cardiopulmonary function was significantly lower than that of the control group. The indexes of experimental group II changed significantly compared with experimental group I, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Cigarette smoke can significantly reduce the aerobic exercise ability and anti fatigue ability. The longer the smoking time, the more serious the adverse effects. Therefore, tobacco smoke and nicotine will damage college students’ aerobic exercise ability and have a negative impact on the recovery of physical fitness after exercise.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document