Breathing Awareness Meditation and LifeSkills Training Programs Influence Upon Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Sodium Excretion Among African American Adolescents

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health 2011-01, Vol.48 (1), p.59-64
• Main Authors: Gregoski, Mathew J., Ph.D, Barnes, Vernon A., Ph.D, Tingen, Martha S., Ph.D, Harshfield, Gregory A., Ph.D, Treiber, Frank A., Ph.D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; Ambulatory blood pressure; Awareness - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Black American people; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory - methods; Botvin LifeSkills Training; Breathing; Breathing awareness meditation; Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control; Clinical trial; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health Promotion - statistics & numerical data; Heart rate; Humans; Hypertension - therapy; Illness and personality; Male; Medical sciences; Meditation - methods; Pediatrics; Personality, behavior and health; Prevention and actions; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Respiratory Mechanics - physiology; Sodium; Sodium - urine; Sodium excretion; Specific populations (family, woman, child, elderly...); Treatment Outcome; United States
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.05.019

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the effect of breathing awareness meditation (BAM), Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST), and health education control (HEC) on ambulatory blood pressure and sodium excretion in African American adolescents. Methods Following 3 consecutive days of systolic blood pressure (SBP) screenings, 166 eligible participants (i.e., SBP >50th–95th percentile) were randomized by school to either BAM (n = 53), LST (n = 69), or HEC (n = 44). In-school intervention sessions were administered for 3 months by health education teachers. Before and after the intervention, overnight urine samples and 24-hour ambulatory SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate were obtained. Results Significant group differences were found for changes in overnight SBP and SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate over the 24-hour period and during school hours. The BAM treatment exhibited the greatest overall decreases on these measures (Bonferroni adjusted, p s < .05). For example, for school-time SBP, BAM showed a change of –3.7 mmHg compared with no change for LST and a change of −.1 mmHg for HEC. There was a nonsignificant trend for overnight urinary sodium excretion ( p = .07), with the BAM group displaying a reduction of −.92 ± 1.1 mEq/hr compared with increases of .89 ± 1.2 mEq/hr for LST and .58 ± .9 mEq/hr for HEC group. Conclusion BAM appears to improve hemodynamic function and may affect sodium handling among African American adolescents who are at increased risk for development of cardiovascular disease.