Evaluating mood check-ins to promote engagement in mobile app-based mindfulness meditation (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Huberty ◽  
Jeni Green ◽  
Megan Puzia ◽  
Chad Stecher
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Cumulative Effect ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Before And After

BACKGROUND Mindfulness meditation smartphone applications (apps) are popular apps to improve mental health but lack evidence-based behavioral strategies to encourage adherence. In October 2019, the Calm mindfulness meditation app introduced a mood check-in feature, but its effects on user adherence have yet to be tested. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to test whether a mood check-in feature within the Calm app improves adherence to app-based meditation practice. METHODS This was a retrospective longitudinal analysis of usage data from a random sample of first-time subscribers to the Calm app (N=2,600) who joined in summer 2018 or summer 2019. Regression analyses were used to compare the rate of change in meditation behavior before and after the introduction of mood check-ins and to estimate how pervious usage of mood check-ins predicted individuals’ future meditation behavior. Additional regression models examined the specific effects of prior mood check-ins containing a positively versus negatively rated mood. RESULTS Controlling for usage during the eight weeks prior and to usage trends among 2018 subscribers, the cumulative effect of eight weeks of mood check-ins was an estimated increase of approximately one meditation session. Positive mood check-ins during the previous week increase the odds of meditation by 1.224, but negative mood check-ins were not associated with future meditation behavior. CONCLUSIONS Using mood check-ins increases meditation participation and the likelihood of meditation particularly for positive mood check-ins. Mobile apps should consider incorporating mood check-ins to sustain behavior or increase adherence but more research is warranted.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Mood Check-in Feature for Participation in Meditation Mobile App Users: Retrospective Longitudinal Analysis

10.2196/27106 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e27106
Author(s):  
Jennifer Huberty ◽  
Jeni Green ◽  
Megan Puzia ◽  
Chad Stecher
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Longitudinal Analysis ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Intent To Treat

Background Mindfulness meditation smartphone apps may improve mental health but lack evidence-based behavioral strategies to encourage their regular use for attaining mental health benefits. In October 2019, the Calm mindfulness meditation app introduced a mood check-in feature, but its effects on participation in meditation have yet to be tested. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate how a mood check-in feature impacts meditation behavior in Calm app subscribers. Methods This was a retrospective longitudinal analysis of mobile app usage data from a random sample of first-time subscribers to the Calm app (n=2600) who joined in summer 2018 or summer 2019. The mood check-in feature allows users to rate their mood using an emoji after completing a meditation session and displays a monthly calendar of their past mood check-ins. Regression analyses were used to compare the rate of change in meditation behavior before and after the introduction of mood check-ins and to estimate how usage of mood check-ins was associated with individuals’ future meditation behavior (ie, intent-to-treat effects). Additional regression models examined the heterogenous effect of mood check-ins between subscribers who were active or inactive users prior to the introduction to mood check-ins (ie, above or below the median number of weeks with any meditation within their cohort). In order to confirm the specific associations between mood check-ins and meditation engagement, we modeled the direct relationship between the use of mood check-ins in previous weeks and subsequent meditation behavior (ie, treatment on the treated effects). Results During the first 9 months of their subscription, the 2019 cohort completed an average of 0.482 more sessions per week (95% CI 0.309 to 0.655) than the 2018 cohort; however, across both cohorts, average weekly meditation declined (–0.033 sessions per week, 95% CI –0.035 to –0.031). Controlled for trends in meditation before mood check-ins and aggregate differences between the 2018 and 2019 samples, the time trend in the number of weekly meditation sessions increased by 0.045 sessions among the 2019 cohort after the introduction of mood check-ins (95% CI 0.039 to 0.052). This increase in meditation was most pronounced among the inactive subscribers (0.063 sessions, 95% CI 0.052 to 0.074). When controlled for past-week meditation, use of mood check-ins during the previous week was positively associated with the likelihood of meditating the following week (odds ratio 1.132, 95% CI 1.059 to 1.211); however, these associations were not sustained beyond 1 week. Conclusions Using mood check-ins increases meditation participation in Calm app subscribers and may be especially beneficial for inactive subscribers. Mobile apps should consider incorporating mood check-ins to help better engage a wider range of users in app-based meditation, but more research is warranted.

Weekly Exercise Consistently Reinstates Positive Mood

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Steinberg ◽  
Briony R. Nicholls ◽  
Elizabeth A. Sykes ◽  
N. LeBoutillier ◽  
Nerina Ramlakhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Single Bout ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Exercise Class ◽  
Negative Feelings ◽  
Over Time

Mood improvement immediately after a single bout of exercise is well documented, but less is known about successive and longer term effects. In a “real-life” field investigation, four kinds of exercise class (Beginners, Advanced, Body Funk and Callanetics) met once a week for up to 7 weeks. Before and after each class the members assessed how they felt by completing a questionnaire listing equal numbers of “positive” and “negative” mood words. Subjects who had attended at least five times were included in the analysis, which led to groups consisting of 18, 20, 16, and 16 subjects, respectively. All four kinds of exercise significantly increased positive and decreased negative feelings, and this result was surprisingly consistent in successive weeks. However, exercise seemed to have a much greater effect on positive than on negative moods. The favorable moods induced by each class seemed to have worn off by the following week, to be reinstated by the class itself. In the Callanetics class, positive mood also improved significantly over time. The Callanetics class involved “slower,” more demanding exercises, not always done to music. The Callanetics and Advanced classes also showed significantly greater preexercise negative moods in the first three sessions. However, these differences disappeared following exercise. Possibly, these two groups had become more “tolerant” to the mood-enhancing effects of physical exercise; this may be in part have been due to “exercise addiction.”

scholarly journals Net Neutrality and Mobile App Innovation in Denmark and Netherlands 2010–2016

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-224
Author(s):  
Roslyn Layton
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Networks ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Net Neutrality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
App Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Net neutrality or “Open Internet” rulemaking has been ongoing for more than a decade. Some 50 nations have adopted formal rules including the US (then repealed), the European Union, India, and many countries in Latin America. Among other arguments, it is asserted that net neutrality rules are necessary for application innovation. While the focus for policymakers has largely been to make rules, there is less attention on how to measure the impact of such rules and how well they achieve their innovation goals. The article summaries a specific research investigation to what degree the introduction of rules in a given country stimulates innovation in that country’s mobile app ecosystem. The focus in on mobile networks because it allowed the most consistent data across countries. The study covered 53 countries, their net neutrality policies (or lack thereof), and the results to the respective mobile application ecosystems of the countries adopting rules between the period of 2010–2016. This investigation tests the proposition that countries which adopt net neutrality rules should experience an increase in mobile app development innovation within their national economy. To test this, a statistical methodology was developed based upon measuring the number of locally developed mobile apps in the country for relevant periods before and after rules are imposed and the corresponding app downloads, usage, and revenue. Measurement was conducted with two independent toolsets and adjusted for the sophistication and penetration of advanced mobile networks in the country. To make more meaningful comparisons and avoid inevitable heterogeneity across the countries, the investigation focuses on two similar countries with different rules, Denmark with soft rules (self-regulation) and Netherlands with hard rules (legislation). The study reviewed the leading theories of innovation as well as the foundational papers in net neutrality to explain the observed discrepancies. The research finds significant statistical support for “soft” net neutrality measures adopted on a voluntary basis. Hard rules adopted through legislation and regulation were not associated with greater mobile app development for the given country. Denmark increased in local mobile app development while Netherlands decreased. Additionally, the explosion of mobile apps from countries with no net neutrality rules and the general dearth of mobile apps from countries which have had hard rules for years runs counter to expected results. This suggests that policymakers revisit their assumptions and expectations for net neutrality policy.

scholarly journals A Mobile App for Assisting Users to Make Informed Selections in Security Settings for Protecting Personal Health Data: Development and Feasibility Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leming Zhou ◽  
Bambang Parmanto ◽  
Zakiy Alfikri ◽  
Jie Bao
Keyword(s):  
Access Control ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Security And Privacy ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Security Education ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Before And After

BACKGROUND On many websites and mobile apps for personal health data collection and management, there are security features and privacy policies available for users. Users sometimes are given an opportunity to make selections in a security setting page; however, it is challenging to make informed selections in these settings for users who do not have much education in information security as they may not precisely know the meaning of certain terms mentioned in the privacy policy or understand the consequences of their selections in the security and privacy settings. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to demonstrate several commonly used security features such as encryption, user authentication, and access control in a mobile app and to determine whether this brief security education is effective in encouraging users to choose stronger security measures to protect their personal health data. METHODS A mobile app named SecSim (Security Simulator) was created to demonstrate the consequences of choosing different options in security settings. A group of study participants was recruited to conduct the study. These participants were asked to make selections in the security settings before and after they viewed the consequences of security features. At the end of the study, a brief interview was conducted to determine the reason for their selections in the security settings. Their selections before and after the security education were compared in order to determine the effectiveness of the security education. The usability of the app was also evaluated. RESULTS In total, 66 participants finished the study and provided their answers in the app and during a brief interview. The comparison between the pre- and postsecurity education selection in security settings indicated that 21% (14/66) to 32% (21/66) participants chose a stronger security measure in text encryption, access control, and image encryption; 0% (0/66) to 2% (1/66) participants chose a weaker measure in these 3 security features; and the remainder kept their original selections. Several demographic characteristics such as marital status, years of experience using mobile devices, income, employment, and health status showed an impact on the setting changes. The usability of the app was good. CONCLUSIONS The study results indicate that a significant percentage of users (21%-32%) need guidance to make informed selection in security settings. If websites and mobile apps can provide embedded security education for users to understand the consequences of their security feature selection and the meaning of commonly used security features, it may help users to make the best choices in terms of security settings. Our mobile app, SecSim, offers a unique approach for mobile app users to understand commonly used security features. This app may be incorporated into other apps or be used before users make selections in their security settings.

Parents’ Perceptions of Their Children’s Engagement in a Consumer-Based Meditation Mobile App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Puzia ◽  
Breanne Laird ◽  
Jeni Green ◽  
Jennifer Huberty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Children’S Sleep

BACKGROUND In the United States, nearly half (48%) of school-aged children experience sleep disturbance that results in less than the recommended sleep duration, which may negatively impact mental health and behavior. Mindfulness interventions may improve sleep and mental health in youth. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding how children (2-12 years) and adolescents (13-17 years) practice mindfulness and the extent to which they benefit from these practices. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine parents’ perceptions of their children’s engagement with a consumer-based mindfulness meditation app and the extent to which they believe their children have benefitted from using the app, particularly with regard to sleep. METHODS This study is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey in adult subscribers (N=11,108) to the mindfulness meditation mobile app Calm. Participants who indicated that they had a child or children younger than 18 years (2944/11,108) who used the Calm app were asked additional questions related to their perceptions of their children’s engagement with Calm. Descriptive statistics were used to assess children’s app engagement, and chi-square tests and binary logistic regression models were used to assess differences in children’s usage based on gender and age. RESULTS Among the survey respondents, approximately half of the parents (1537/2944, 52.21%) reported that their children used Calm. Children used Calm mostly for (1) sleep (1168/1537, 75.99%), (2) stress (491/1537, 31.95%), (3) depression or anxiety (430/1537, 27.98%), and (4) improvement of overall health (215/1537,13.99%). Older children were more likely to begin using Calm to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety, whereas younger children were more likely begin using Calm to improve sleep. Most children used Calm when lying down to go to bed (1113/1529, 72.79%). Children were most likely to use sleep stories at night (1144/1207, 94.78%), followed by music and soundscapes (749/1114, 67.24%), meditations (736/1120, 65.71%), and breathing exercises (610/1092, 55.86%). Nearly all parents believed that using sleep stories was helpful for their children’s sleep (1090/1128, 96.63%), and the majority of parents felt that the other components were also helpful for their children’s sleep (music and soundscapes [570/728, 78.30%], meditations [445/696, 63.94%], and breathing exercises [610/1092, 55.86%]). CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore parents’ perceptions of how their children or adolescents use a popular consumer-based mindfulness mobile app (ie, Calm). As the majority of children use the app for sleep, mindfulness meditation mobile apps should consider incorporating age-appropriate sleep content to meet the needs of this audience. More research is needed to confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of mindfulness meditation apps for improving sleep and mental health in children and adolescents.

scholarly journals Mindfulness and Legal Practice: A Preliminary Study of the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Stress Reduction in Lawyers

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Paul Minda ◽  
Jeena Cho ◽  
Emily Nielsen ◽  
Mengxiao Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Psychological Resilience ◽  
Legal Practice ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
The Many

Research has shown that lawyers often experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in their lives. Mindfulness meditation may be an effective way to reduce the many negative effects associated with work stress. We asked a group of 46 lawyers to participate in an eight week mindfulness meditation program that was designed for lawyers. The mindfulness program was based on The Anxious Lawyer by Cho and Gifford (2016) and guided audio meditations were made available online. Participants were assessed before beginning the program and again when the program was completed. The results indicated that the mindfulness meditation program significantly reduced self-described depression, anxiety, stress, and negative mood. The meditation program also increased positive mood and psychological resilience. As well, participants in the program viewed themselves as being more effective at their work. Despite the strong effects observed in this study, we argue that much more research is needed to understand these benefits.

scholarly journals Comparison on the Effect of Doing Exercise, Listening to Music and Taking Quiet Rest on Mood Changes

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44
Author(s):  
Eric C.K. TSANG
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Exercise Group ◽  
School Students ◽  
Mood Change ◽  
Mood Changes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Group B

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese. This study compared the effect of doing exercise, listening to music and taking quiet rest on mood changes. Three hundred and thirty seven secondary school students participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to three groups: (a) aerobic exercise group; (b) light instrumental music group; and (c) quiet rest group. All participants were administered with the Profile Of Mood State (POMS; Grove & Prapavessis, 1992) before and after the thirty minutes activity. It was found that both doing exercise and listening to music were effective in resulting a mood change by lowering the negative mood state. Participants after doing exercise reported a significant increase in positive mood. Conversely, participants after taking a quiet rest reported an increase in negative mood. It was concluded that doing exercise was most effective to achieve a positive mood change, yet, for those non-exercisers, listening to music could also induce positive psychological changes. 此研究是比較進行運動，聆聽音樂，及靜坐，對情緒的影響。三百三十七位参與測試的中學生，隨機分為三組，(a) 帶氧運動組，(b) 聆聽輕音樂組，及 (c)靜坐組。實驗進行三十分鐘，各参加者在實驗前及後都以Profile Of Mood State(POMS; Grove & Prapavessis, 1992) 作答，以探討他們的情緒變化；研究顯示進行運動及聆聽音樂，都能有效降低負面情緒，而進行運動者在正面情緒方面，更有明顯提升; 反而，靜坐組顯示在實驗後負面情緒有明顯上升，此研究作出結論，進行運動對改善情緒最為有效，但聆聽音樂對非運動愛好者，亦能改善心理狀况。

scholarly journals Effect of training session on mood state responses in athletes of wheelchair basketball team

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laise Carolina Ramos Oliveira ◽  
◽  
André Lucas Moraes ◽  
Veronica Volski Mattes ◽  
Gabriela Dal´Maz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Disability ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
Wheelchair Basketball ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
State Responses ◽  
Test For Normality

The assessment of mood state can be used as a tool for monitoring the training adaptation. However, to athletes with a physical disability, this tool is still a few explored, especially in training daily conditions. The aim of the study was to analyze the mood state during training sessions in wheelchair basketball athletes. Twelve male athletes, aged between 23 and 62 years old, were evaluated. The subjects answered the POMS questionnaire before and after five training sessions during the preparatory period. Shapiro Wilk test for normality and Friedman were used for comparison amongst sessions, adopting p<0.05. It was found that the athletes presented a positive mood profile (iceberg) during the analyzed period. A negative mood reduction and positive mood maintenance were observed after all training sessions. Therefore, the results indicate that the training sessions can decrease the negative mood dimension, especially the depression and anger in wheelchair basketball athletes.

scholarly journals Parents’ Perceptions of Their Children’s Engagement in a Consumer-Based Meditation Mobile App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

10.2196/24536 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. e24536
Author(s):  
Megan Puzia ◽  
Breanne Laird ◽  
Jeni Green ◽  
Jennifer Huberty
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Mobile Apps ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Breathing Exercises ◽  
Children’S Sleep

Background In the United States, nearly half (48%) of school-aged children experience sleep disturbance that results in less than the recommended sleep duration, which may negatively impact mental health and behavior. Mindfulness interventions may improve sleep and mental health in youth. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding how children (2-12 years) and adolescents (13-17 years) practice mindfulness and the extent to which they benefit from these practices. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine parents’ perceptions of their children’s engagement with a consumer-based mindfulness meditation app and the extent to which they believe their children have benefitted from using the app, particularly with regard to sleep. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey in adult subscribers (N=11,108) to the mindfulness meditation mobile app Calm. Participants who indicated that they had a child or children younger than 18 years (2944/11,108) who used the Calm app were asked additional questions related to their perceptions of their children’s engagement with Calm. Descriptive statistics were used to assess children’s app engagement, and chi-square tests and binary logistic regression models were used to assess differences in children’s usage based on gender and age. Results Among the survey respondents, approximately half of the parents (1537/2944, 52.21%) reported that their children used Calm. Children used Calm mostly for (1) sleep (1168/1537, 75.99%), (2) stress (491/1537, 31.95%), (3) depression or anxiety (430/1537, 27.98%), and (4) improvement of overall health (215/1537,13.99%). Older children were more likely to begin using Calm to reduce stress, depression, or anxiety, whereas younger children were more likely begin using Calm to improve sleep. Most children used Calm when lying down to go to bed (1113/1529, 72.79%). Children were most likely to use sleep stories at night (1144/1207, 94.78%), followed by music and soundscapes (749/1114, 67.24%), meditations (736/1120, 65.71%), and breathing exercises (610/1092, 55.86%). Nearly all parents believed that using sleep stories was helpful for their children’s sleep (1090/1128, 96.63%), and the majority of parents felt that the other components were also helpful for their children’s sleep (music and soundscapes [570/728, 78.30%], meditations [445/696, 63.94%], and breathing exercises [610/1092, 55.86%]). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to explore parents’ perceptions of how their children or adolescents use a popular consumer-based mindfulness mobile app (ie, Calm). As the majority of children use the app for sleep, mindfulness meditation mobile apps should consider incorporating age-appropriate sleep content to meet the needs of this audience. More research is needed to confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of mindfulness meditation apps for improving sleep and mental health in children and adolescents.

The Role of Gender and Sensation Seeking in Film Choice

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita C. Banerjee ◽  
Kathryn Greene ◽  
Marina Krcmar ◽  
Zhanna Bagdasarov ◽  
Dovile Ruginyte
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sensation Seeking ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Positive Mood ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Arousal ◽  
Subject Design ◽  
Happy Mood

This study demonstrates the significance of individual difference factors, particularly gender and sensation seeking, in predicting media choice (examined through hypothetical descriptions of films that participants anticipated they would view). This study used a 2 (Positive mood/negative mood) × 2 (High arousal/low arousal) within-subject design with 544 undergraduate students recruited from a large northeastern university in the United States. Results showed that happy films and high arousal films were preferred over sad films and low-arousal films, respectively. In terms of gender differences, female viewers reported a greater preference than male viewers for happy-mood films. Also, male viewers reported a greater preference for high-arousal films compared to female viewers, and female viewers reported a greater preference for low-arousal films compared to male viewers. Finally, high sensation seekers reported a preference for high-arousal films. Implications for research design and importance of exploring media characteristics are discussed.

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