Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Change in Health-Related Behaviors
Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, Matthew Hunsinger, Lucas Morgan, Daniel Fischer, James Carmody
Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine October 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1177/2156587213488600 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 174 |
| Population | Adults attending an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program; mean age 47 years, range 19-68, 61% female |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction |
| Duration | 8-week program |
| Measures | Health Behaviors Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Participants reported significant improvements in dietary behaviors and sleep quality after the 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, with partial changes in physical activity but no changes in smoking or drinking habits. The authors conclude that mindfulness training promotes favorable changes in selected health-related behaviors and deserves further study in randomized controlled trials. |
Abstract
How best to support change in health-related behaviors is an important public health challenge. The role of mindfulness training in this process has received limited attention. We sought to explore whether mindfulness training is associated with changes in health-related behaviors. The Health Behaviors Questionnaire was used to obtain self-reported data on dietary behaviors, drinking, smoking, physical activity, and sleep quality before and after attendance at an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program. T-tests for paired data and χ 2 tests were used to compare pre–post intervention means and proportions of relevant variables with P = .05 as level of significance. Participants (n = 174; mean age 47 years, range 19-68; 61% female) reported significant improvements in dietary behaviors and sleep quality. Partial changes were seen in physical activity but no changes in smoking and drinking habits. In conclusion, mindfulness training promotes favorable changes in selected health-related behaviors deserving further study through randomized controlled trials.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness-Based Blood Pressure Reduction (MB-BP): Stage 1 single-arm clinical trial PLoS One November 27, 2019
- Mindfulness Training for Primary Care for Portuguese-Speaking Immigrants: A Pilot Study Frontiers in Psychiatry September 9, 2021
- A systematic review on the effectiveness of unstandardized mindfulness interventions in improving dietary and physical activity outcomes in healthy adults. BMC Public Health May 8, 2025
- Perceptions and experiences of adult caregivers receiving mindfulness-based behavioural education: A qualitative study. Malaysian family physician : the official journal of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia 2024
and 5 more in the library
Cites 10
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- A pilot study on mindfulness based stress reduction for smokers BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine January 25, 2007
- Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society March 4, 2011
and 5 more in the library