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Principal Investigator: Jennifer Logan Green
Organization: SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $151,672
Funding agency: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
Project Summary/Abstract
This K01 is a mixed methods research project in collaboration with an industry partner (i.e., Healthy Minds Innovations)
and will be conducted across three aims during a 5-year comprehensive training program. In this innovative proposal, the
candidate has identified a mentorship team and training goals to facilitate their transition to an independent research career
focused on achieving health equity and advancing mind-body research by delivering culturally tailored digital health
interventions to improve mental health and well-being in underserved populations. Background: African American (AA)
adults are 20% more likely to report serious psychological distress (e.g., stress, anxiety, depression) compared to white
adults. Racial discrimination, a significant source of stress in AA adults, increases psychological distress. AA adults lack
access to quality mental health care and the compounding impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may further exacerbate mental
health disparities. Reducing psychological distress and increasing access to mental health care for AA adults is a public
health emergency. Commercially available mindfulness meditation mobile apps may be an effective and efficient solution
because they improve psychological distress, are highly scalable and can increase access to care. However, most are not
culturally tailored (i.e., include groups’ unique experiences, values, and beliefs). Culturally tailoring mindfulness meditation
apps can enhance engagement and efficacy in racial/ethnic minority populations. Specific aims and research design: The
goal of Aim 1 is to inform the development of an app prototype via focus groups (N=4, 5 participants each) in AA adults
(half meditators, half non-meditators). The goal of Aim 2 is to culturally tailor a commercial mindfulness meditation app
(Healthy Minds Program app) through a User-Centered Design (UCD) workshop. AA adults (N=8) will attend a virtual
half-day UCD workshop where they will co-design an app prototype. After the prototype is built, participants will test it for
1 week and complete an exit interview to refine the app. Aim 3 will determine the feasibility of the culturally tailored
prototype app following predetermined benchmarks. AA adults with elevated stress (N=72) will be randomized to use HMP
or a health education app (The Wellness App) for 8 weeks. Psychological distress, race-related stress, mindfulness, and self-
compassion will be measured at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Acceptability (ability to recruit, satisfaction, continued
use, appropriateness) will be assessed with a post-intervention satisfaction survey. Demand (adherence to treatment) will
be measured by objective app usage data (sessions/minutes completed) and attrition rate. Mentoring and training: A team
of expert mentors and advisors (Vranceanu, Burnett-Zeigler, Gallo, and Roesch) will oversee the progress of this study and
contribute to mentoring the candidate across 4 training goals aimed to develop expertise in: 1) mental health disparities, 2)
cultural tailoring methods, 3) digital clinical trials, and 4) qualitative and mixed methods research and advanced statistics.
This proposal aligns with NCCIH’s funding priorities including the development of feasible mobile health (mHealth) mind-
body interventions and reducing health disparities. Impact: Collectively, this career development award will serve as a
strong foundation toward the candidate’s independent research career and provides an innovative solution to improve access
to mental health care for AA adults.
Terms: <21+ years old><Access to Care><Adherence><Adult><Adult Human><African American><Afro American><Afroamerican><Anxiety><Belief><Benchmarking><Best Practice Analysis><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 pandemic affected><COVID-19 pandemic consequence><COVID-19 pandemic effects><COVID-19 pandemic impact><COVID-19 pandemic impacted><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Career Development Awards><Career Development Awards and Programs><Career Development Programs K-Series><Cell Phone><Cellular Phone><Cellular Telephone><Clinical Trials><Collaborations><Communities><Data><Decrease health disparities><Dedications><Development><Distress><Educational workshop><Feedback><Focus Groups><Foundations><Funding><Future><Goals><Health Instruction><Health Services Accessibility><Health Tutoring><Health disparity mitigation><Health disparity reduction><Health education><History><Improve Access><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Investigators><K-Awards><K-Series Research Career Programs><Language><Location><Lower health disparities><Manuscripts><Measures><Mediator><Meditation><Mental Depression><Mental Health><Mental Health Services><Mental Hygiene><Mental Hygiene Services><Mentors><Mentorship><Methods><Mind><Mind-Body Intervention><Mind-Body Medicine><Mind-Body Method><Mind/Body Research><Mitigate health disparities><Mobile Phones><Modification><NCCAM><NCCIH><NIH><National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health><National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine><National Institutes of Health><Participant><Pattern><Perception><Personal Satisfaction><Phase><Preparation><Prevalence><Process><Psychological Health><R-Series Research Projects><R01 Mechanism><R01 Program><Race><Races><Randomized><Recording of previous events><Reduce health disparities><Reporting><Research><Research Career Program><Research Design><Research Grants><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Research Project Grants><Research Projects><Researchers><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Source><Stress><Stressful Event><Structure><Study Type><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Testing><Training><Training Programs><Underserved Population><United States National Institutes of Health><Workshop><access to health services><access to services><access to treatment><accessibility to health services><adulthood><availability of services><base><bases><benchmark><care access><career><compare treatment><compassion to self><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic consequence><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><cost><cultural values><demographics><depression><design><designing><developmental><digital><digital health><discrimination based on race><discrimination due to race><disparity in health><effects following the COVID-19 pandemic><efficacy testing><ethnic minority group><ethnic minority individual><ethnic minority people><ethnic minority population><experience><health disparity><health equity><health service access><health services availability><histories><iPhone><ideation><impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><improved><industrial partnership><industry partner><industry partnership><innovate><innovation><innovative><instructor><interventional strategy><m-Health><mHealth><mental health care><mental healthcare><mind body approach><mind body medicine skills><mind body techniques><mind body therapy><mind body treatments><mind body wellness><mind-body research><mind/body method><mindfulness><mindfulness meditation><mobile app><mobile application><mobile device application><mobile health><perceived stress><perception of stress><post intervention><preparations><product development><programs><prototype><psychological distress><public health emergency><race discrimination><race-based discrimination><race-related discrimination><racial><racial background><racial discrimination><racial minority group><racial minority individual><racial minority people><racial minority population><racial origin><randomisation><randomization><randomly assigned><recruit><research and methods><satisfaction><self-compassion><self-forgiveness><self-kindness><self-reported stress><service availability><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><smart phone><smartphone><social><social stigma><statistics><stigma><stress buffering><stress management><stress perception><stressful experience><stressful life event><stressful life experience><study design><tool><treating oneself with kindness><treatment access><treatment comparison><under served group><under served individual><under served people><under served population><underserved group><underserved individual><underserved people><user centered design><virtual><well-being><wellbeing>