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The Role of Mindfulness Meditation for the Management of Hypertension in African American Adults in the US - A Scoping Review

Ermiyas Woldeamanuel, Lamar Johnson, Freda Patterson

preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4439297/v1 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Systematic review Randomized
Population African American adults with hypertension in the United States
Intervention Mindfulness meditation
Topics Meditation
Key findings Across five randomized controlled trials, mindfulness meditation was associated with systolic blood pressure reductions of 7.2 to 21.92 mmHg and diastolic reductions of 0 to 7.2 mmHg, with one trial showing no diastolic change. The authors argue that mindfulness, delivered via prerecorded MP3s or trained guidance, may be a cost-efficient, side-effect-free approach to hypertension management in this population.

Abstract

Abstract Background:The prevalence of hypertension is greater among African American adults than among individuals in other ethnic groups. Mindfulness, an ancient technique that has been used for thousands of years, is acknowledged as a valuable tool for improving health in various ways. However, despite its traditional wisdom, there remains a gap in understanding the standalone effects of MM on hypertension control. Methods:This review aimed to discuss the role of mindfulness in managing hypertension within the African American adult population in the U.S. PubMed and Scopus were the chosen databases for this exploration. The inclusion criteria comprised papers presenting primary data studies conducted on hypertensive African American patients, specifically reporting on the independent association between mindfulness and hypertension. The exclusion criteria included nonprimary data studies and studies not primarily focused on hypertension or mindfulness. Results:Following our search strategy, we identified a total of 32 studies. Our review incorporated five randomized controlled trials by excluding manuscripts lacking primary data, nonrandomized clinical trials, and duplicates. Within these studies, mindfulness was administered to participants through either prerecorded MP3s or guidance from trained personnel. The observed reduction in blood pressure ranged from 7.2 mmHg to 21.92 mmHg for systolic blood pressure and from null to 7.2 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure across the five studies. Notably, one study showed no change in diastolic blood pressure. Discussion:The outcomes of this review can contribute to clinical practice by offering an evidence-based approach for effective hypertension control through MM. The key findings highlight the positive impact of mindfulness on blood pressure regulation and emphasize the use of prerecorded MP3s or trained guidance as effective mindfulness delivery methods. These insights underscore the potential significance of MM as a cost-efficient and side effect-free approach to hypertension management.

Comparable studies

Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations 2014 Meta-analysis n = 3,515
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects 2009 Systematic review and meta-analysis
The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators 2012 Meta-analysis n = 163
Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission 2016 Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials n = 1,258
Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials 2011 Systematic review

Citations in the library

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