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A feasibility trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients with asthma

A feasibility trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients with asthma
A feasibility trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients with asthma

Asthma outcomes remain suboptimal, despite effective pharmacotherapy. Psychological dysfunction (such as anxiety) is common, and associated with poorer outcomes. We evaluated a digital mindfulness programme as an intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients, in a prospectively registered randomized-controlled feasibility study. We offered ‘Headspace’, a widely-used digital mindfulness intervention, to adults with asthma through 16 UK GP practices. Participants were randomized on a 2:1 basis to the mindfulness intervention, or waitlist control. Participants completed questionnaires (including asthma symptom control, asthma-related quality of life, anxiety, depression) at baseline, 6-week and 3-month follow-up. 116 participants completed primary outcomes at 3-month follow-up: intervention 73 (79%), control 43 (84%). Compared to baseline, the intervention group but not the control group reported significantly improved asthma-related quality of life, with a between-group difference favoring the intervention group that was not significant (Mean difference = 0.15, 95%CI − 0.13 to 0.42). Intervention use varied (ranging from 0 to 192 times) but was generally high. Digital mindfulness interventions are feasible and acceptable adjunct treatments for mild and moderate asthma to target quality of life. Further research should adapt ‘generic’ mindfulness-based stress-reduction to maximize effectiveness for asthma, and validate our findings in a fully-powered randomized controlled trial. Trial registration Prospectively registered: ISRCTN52212323.

Anxiety, Asthma, Mindfulness, Primary care, Quality of life
0160-7715
Ainsworth, Ben
b02d78c3-aa8b-462d-a534-31f1bf164f81
Stanescu, Sabina
ea9357e1-3371-4021-b44d-c1df840b79b3
Stuart, Beth
a51c80d3-5855-4672-b24f-8c65fd2e1444
Russell, Daniel
aea22d47-66cc-49f3-adb5-0823a672ec15
Liddiard, Megan
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Djukanovic, Ratko
d9a45ee7-6a80-4d84-a0ed-10962660a98d
Thomas, Mike
997c78e0-3849-4ce8-b1bc-86ebbdee3953
Ainsworth, Ben
b02d78c3-aa8b-462d-a534-31f1bf164f81
Stanescu, Sabina
ea9357e1-3371-4021-b44d-c1df840b79b3
Stuart, Beth
a51c80d3-5855-4672-b24f-8c65fd2e1444
Russell, Daniel
aea22d47-66cc-49f3-adb5-0823a672ec15
Liddiard, Megan
7cf93786-5fce-4e51-8f10-f0ccd62aef0f
Djukanovic, Ratko
d9a45ee7-6a80-4d84-a0ed-10962660a98d
Thomas, Mike
997c78e0-3849-4ce8-b1bc-86ebbdee3953

Ainsworth, Ben, Stanescu, Sabina, Stuart, Beth, Russell, Daniel, Liddiard, Megan, Djukanovic, Ratko and Thomas, Mike (2021) A feasibility trial of a digital mindfulness-based intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients with asthma. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. (doi:10.1007/s10865-021-00249-3).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Asthma outcomes remain suboptimal, despite effective pharmacotherapy. Psychological dysfunction (such as anxiety) is common, and associated with poorer outcomes. We evaluated a digital mindfulness programme as an intervention to improve asthma-related quality of life for primary care patients, in a prospectively registered randomized-controlled feasibility study. We offered ‘Headspace’, a widely-used digital mindfulness intervention, to adults with asthma through 16 UK GP practices. Participants were randomized on a 2:1 basis to the mindfulness intervention, or waitlist control. Participants completed questionnaires (including asthma symptom control, asthma-related quality of life, anxiety, depression) at baseline, 6-week and 3-month follow-up. 116 participants completed primary outcomes at 3-month follow-up: intervention 73 (79%), control 43 (84%). Compared to baseline, the intervention group but not the control group reported significantly improved asthma-related quality of life, with a between-group difference favoring the intervention group that was not significant (Mean difference = 0.15, 95%CI − 0.13 to 0.42). Intervention use varied (ranging from 0 to 192 times) but was generally high. Digital mindfulness interventions are feasible and acceptable adjunct treatments for mild and moderate asthma to target quality of life. Further research should adapt ‘generic’ mindfulness-based stress-reduction to maximize effectiveness for asthma, and validate our findings in a fully-powered randomized controlled trial. Trial registration Prospectively registered: ISRCTN52212323.

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Accepted/In Press date: 20 July 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 27 August 2021
Published date: 27 August 2021
Keywords: Anxiety, Asthma, Mindfulness, Primary care, Quality of life

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 452955
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/452955
ISSN: 0160-7715
PURE UUID: 3ed8d1dd-7109-421e-9755-62674b9ba930
ORCID for Ben Ainsworth: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5098-1092
ORCID for Sabina Stanescu: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0792-8939
ORCID for Ratko Djukanovic: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6039-5612

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Date deposited: 07 Jan 2022 11:46
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:39

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Contributors

Author: Ben Ainsworth ORCID iD
Author: Sabina Stanescu ORCID iD
Author: Beth Stuart
Author: Daniel Russell
Author: Megan Liddiard
Author: Mike Thomas

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