University of Wisconsin Meditation & Exercise Cold Study

Summary

The primary goal of this project is to determine whether behavioral training in mindfulness meditation or moderate intensity sustained exercise will lead to reductions in acute respiratory infection (ARI) illness, such as common cold and influenza like illness. Specifically, this project aims to:

1. Determine whether an 8-week training program in mindfulness meditation, as compared to the control group, will lead to significant reductions in incidence, duration, and severity of ARI illness.
2. Determine whether an 8-week training program in moderate intensity sustained exercise, as compared to the control group, will lead to reductions in incidence, duration, and severity of ARI illness.
3. Assess whether any observed reductions in ARI illness are accompanied by fewer ARI-related health care visits and less time lost to productive work (reduced absenteeism).
4. Compare the potential benefits of mindfulness meditation to those from moderate intensity sustained exercise.
5. Discern potential mediating factors and causal pathways that might help explain how these interventions lead to improved ARI illness-related outcomes.

The investigators' preliminary findings suggest substantial benefit of these interventions in terms of reduced incidence, duration and severity of ARI illness, with corresponding reductions in days of work lost to illness. If the proposed research confirms these findings, there will be major implications for public and private health-related policy and practice, as well as for scientific knowledge regarding health maintenance and disease prevention.

Conditions

• Acute Respiratory Infection

Interventions

OTHER

Mindfulness Meditation

Training will consist of a standardized 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, including 2½ hour weekly sessions and regular at-home daily practice. Didactic sessions center on awareness of physical, emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal responses to stress. A half day meditation "retreat" on a weekend day at the end of week 6 will allow participants to practice their skills.

OTHER

Exercise

Exercise training will primarily focus on walking or jogging, activities that are convenient, easy to teach and do not require special equipment. Individualized programs will be developed for those who have access to specific equipment, are unable to do walking/jogging, or prefer different types of exercise. Each weekly exercise session will include 1½ hours of didactic and 1 hour of group exercise. A half day exercise retreat designed to match the meditation retreat will occur the weekend of week 6. The retreat will include didactics, group discussion and activities, and individualized exercise practice.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Wisconsin, Madison

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Bruce Barrett, MD PhD · University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

30 Years

Max Age

69 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2012-07-31

Primary Completion

2016-06-30

Completion

2016-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations