Mindfulness and Lifestyle Education for Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertension

Introduction: HTN is the leading modifiable cardiovascular risk factor affecting 103 million adults in the US. A healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity are key components in lifestyle medicine for maintaining normal BP. Yet, most Americans struggle making these changes. We evaluated the effects of mindfulness practice on lifestyle behaviors and BP. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the mindfulness practice will improve lifestyle behaviors and BP in patients with HTN, relative to health education only. Methods: We recruited 36 adults (75% female) with elevated BP (> 120/80), aged 60.8 � 11.5 years and block randomized them to Mindful Awareness Program (MAP) or Health Promotion Program (HPP). Both groups MAP (n = 20) and HPP (n=16) received training for 6 weeks in their respective programs. Weekly BP, diet, exercise and medication adherence data were collected for a total of 12 weeks. Relationships with outcome measurements were compared between the two groups by linear mixed model with repeated measures. Results: Interaction between time and groups was significant. Mediational analysis of MAP group data showed that the total effect of mindfulness practice minutes on SBP with indirect effect (ab) of (-.057) was significant, resulting in a 40% lower SBP for total effect (c) compared to direct effect (c`) alone. Trial Registration Number: NCT03924531