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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Mindfulness
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1365778

Acceptability, Engagement, and Preliminary Efficacy of a College Human Physiology Course with Integrated Mindfulness Practice to Support Student Well-being

Provisionally accepted
Zhuoya Zhang Zhuoya Zhang 1*Chân P. Lưu Chân P. Lưu 2Diane Gilbert-Diamond Diane Gilbert-Diamond 3
  • 1 Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
  • 2 Deer Park Monastery, Escondido, United States
  • 3 Department of Medical Education, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: To evaluate the acceptability of and engagement with an undergraduate human physiology course embedded with mindfulness practice. To assess its preliminary efficacy on student mindfulness and well-being. Methods: Students (N = 36, 17% freshman, 33% sophomore, 22% junior, 28% senior) answered online surveys at course completion. Primary outcomes were course ratings, assignment and assessment completion rates, minutes, types of mindfulness practice, changes in trait mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, MAAS), and self-reported well-being outcomes. We ran Chi-square goodness of fit tests and paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to decide if the outcomes differed significantly post-class. We tested the dose-response relation between mindfulness practice time and trait mindfulness and whether the out-of-class practice time was consistent across the weeks with generalized linear mixed-effect models. Results: All participants reported finding the course enjoyable and that they would recommend it to their friends. They practiced for an average of 66 (SD = 27) minutes per week in the class and 112 (SD = 59) minutes on their own. The most common out-of-class practices were mindful movements, sitting meditation, and breathing. Per self-reports, the course increased student understanding of specific mindfulness practices and appreciation for their body. It improved well-being and trait mindfulness (MAAS mean within-person change = 1.2, SD = 0.8, p < .00001). We found no does-response relation between practice time and trait mindfulness. Conclusions: This pilot study supports that incorporating mindfulness practice into college-level courses may promote student well-being and such approaches warrant further investigation.

    Keywords: mindfulness, young adults, College student, Health, Well-being

    Received: 04 Jan 2024; Accepted: 24 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Lưu and Gilbert-Diamond. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Zhuoya Zhang, Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, 03756, New Hampshire, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.