Mindfulness App Training for Cardiovascular Health

The mindfulness intervention includes 28 daily 20-minute audio lessons plus brief daily practice prompts. The first 14 lessons train techniques for developing foundational mindfulness skills through didactics and guided practice; the second 14 lessons review these techniques through guided practice. Based on the Unified Mindfulness system, lessons train 3 mindfulness skills: concentration, sensory clarity, and equanimity. Concentration, a state of stable attention, enables participants to monitor present-moment physical and emotional body experiences. Sensory clarity, the monitoring of momentary experiences, involves detecting subtle sensations and discriminating between different experiences. Equanimity, an attitude of acceptance toward momentary experiences, is trained through 3 strategies: (a) body relaxation, (b) mental welcoming, and (c) a gentle tone of voice. Practice prompts delivered 3 times daily encourage participants to practice brief moments of mindful awareness.

Participants in the EUC condition will have no study requirements during the 4-week intervention period, but they will receive a list of stress management resources upon randomization (websites, books, health tracking apps, and mental health services) with no additional intervention support.