A pilot study of mindful walking training on physical activity and health outcomes among adults with inadequate activity.
Lu Shi, Ralph S Welsh, Snehal Lopes, Lior Rennert, Liwei Chen, Karyn Jones, Lingling Zhang, Bailey Crenshaw, Mark Wilson, Heidi Zinzow
Complementary Therapies in Medicine June 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.03.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized experiment Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 38 |
| Population | Adults with inadequate physical activity |
| Intervention | Mindful walking |
| Duration | 4-week intervention, 1-month follow-up |
| Measures | Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale, Mental Health Inventory (MHI), device-measured step count |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Physical activity Step count Stress Walking meditation Wearable device |
| Key findings | A four-week mindful walking intervention led to significantly greater stress reduction than a control condition immediately after the intervention, but not at one-month follow-up, and did not improve physical activity or step counts more than the control. |
Abstract
Mindful walking is a meditation practice that combines physical activity and mindfulness practice. Some mindful walking interventions expect four weeks of attendance (as compared with the traditional 8-week models of mindfulness-based interventions, or MBIs), a practice that could make MBIs more accessible to working-age adults. This study examined whether a 4-week mindful walking intervention increased physical activity and improved mental health outcomes. We conducted a randomized experiment among adults with inadequate physical activity (N = 38), whereby the intervention group received a four-week, one-hour-per-week mindful walking intervention and the control group received instructions to increase physical activity. Everyone in both groups received a wrist-worn step count device as participation incentive. Physical activity (as measured by the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity questionnaire, RAPA) and other health outcomes were assessed with online surveys at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and one month after the intervention (T3). Those mental health outcomes included perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), depression (Brief Edinburgh Depression Scale), and Mental Health Inventory (MHI). The primary outcome of device-measured step count was recorded at T1 and T2. Independent two-sample t-tests were used to compare the primary outcomes at T1. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with a random intercept for each subject were used to compare the two groups on the primary outcomes at all time points. The independent variables in the model included a binary variable for group assignment (intervention vs. control), a 3-level categorical variable for time, and their interaction. Age, gender and race/ethnicity are used as covariates in the model. Estimated changes (either differences or ratios between outcomes at time points T1 and T2/T3) are reported to assess change within groups. Both groups exhibited significant improvements in the RAPA measures of physical activity and depression. However, between-group differences were not statistically significant. There was no within-group or between-group difference on device-measured step count, though both groups yielded an average daily step count close to the recommended level of 8,000 steps per day for older adults. The intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in perceived stress, and this reduction was significantly greater than that of the control group at T2 (p = .025) although the difference was insignificant at T3. No significant difference in MHI was found. While these adults with inadequate physical activity increased their physical activity, no significant between-group differences in physical activity were identified. Potential reasons for the lack of significant findings could be due to the ceiling effect (the step count device for everyone in both groups might have encouraged more activity in both groups), limited sample size and low-dose 4-week intervention used in this study. On the other hand, it is encouraging to see that this low-dose, short-duration 4-week intervention (as compared with those popular 8-week MBIs) achieved significantly greater stress reduction among the intervention group than among the control group, even though the between-group difference at one-month follow-up was statistically insignificant. Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to assess the possible benefits of these short-duration mindful walking interventions.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- A Meta-Regression of psychosocial factors associated with sleep outcomes in mindfulness-based intervention trials. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2025
- Effects of Buddhist Walking Meditation, Walking Meditation or Mindful Walking on the Health of Adults and Older Adults: A Systematic Review Psychiatry International October 13, 2025
- Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an online mindful walking intervention among COVID-19 long haulers: A mixed methods study including daily diary surveys. PLOS digital health April 1, 2025
- The Combined Effect of Mindfulness and Physical Activity on Stress: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Behavioral Sciences September 11, 2026
- A Pilot Feasibility Study of Mindful Walking in Older Adults: Exploratory Bayesian Estimates of Psychological Distress and Alexithymia International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health June 25, 2026
and 3 more in the library
Cites 15
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Mindfulness meditation alleviates depressive symptoms in women with fibromyalgia: Results of a randomized clinical trial Arthritis Care & Research January 31, 2007
- Effects of Low-Dose Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR-ld) on Working Adults Health Education & Behavior May 9, 2008
- Tolerability and suitability of brief group mindfulness-oriented interventions in psychiatric inpatients: a pilot study. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice September 1, 2016
and 10 more in the library