Table of Contents
Introduction
Obesity and work-related stress are significant public health concerns, and their association has been well-documented. Mindfulness meditation has shown promise in improving well-being in the workplace, but its effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well-known. This study aimed to examine the effects of a digital meditation intervention, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity among individuals with overweight and moderate stress.
Methods
The study randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to one of four groups: digital meditation (MED), digital meditation + healthy eating (MED+HE), active control (HE), or waitlist control (WL) for 8 weeks. The participants completed baseline and 8-week measures of stress, cravings, and adiposity. The data were analyzed using ANCOVAs to compare the treatment groups and explore the effects of treatment adherence on outcomes.
Results
Participants in the MED and MED+HE groups showed significant reductions in perceived stress and sagittal diameter (a measure of abdominal fat distribution) compared to the HE and WL groups. However, there were no significant differences in food cravings or BMI among the groups. Participants with a tendency toward binge eating who received MED or MED+HE also showed decreases in sagittal diameter. Greater adherence to the meditation programs was associated with greater reductions in stress, cravings, and adiposity.
Discussion
The findings of this study suggest that a brief digital mindfulness-based program can effectively reduce perceived stress and improve abdominal fat distribution among individuals with overweight and moderate stress. These results add to the existing literature on the benefits of mindfulness interventions and highlight the potential of digital platforms for delivering mindfulness programs in the workplace. Future research should further explore the mechanisms by which mindfulness interventions contribute to improvements in health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mindfulness meditation, delivered digitally, can be a cost-effective method for reducing perceived stress and improving abdominal fat distribution among individuals with overweight and moderate stress. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of mindfulness interventions in the workplace. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms and to determine the optimal conditions for delivering mindfulness programs to improve health outcomes.
Acknowledgments
We would like to express our gratitude to the participants who generously gave their time to this study.
Reference:
Radin RM, Epel ES, Mason AE, Vaccaro J, Fromer E, Guan J, et al. (2023) Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE 18(3): e0280808. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0280808
