Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
17-4-2026 1:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 2:30 PM
Description
Introduction:
Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor in the United States and is associated with serious complications, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and kidney failure, and other outcomes resulting from destroyed vessels. Although antihypertensive medications are widely used to manage hypertension, treatment is often limited by medication cost, polypharmacy, and poor adherence. Medication nonadherence remains a significant barrier to effective blood pressure control and is associated with adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality. Meditation, a stress-reduction intervention, may represent a feasible adjunctive therapy for the management of hypertension. We hypothesize that introducing people to meditation and encouraging them to continue its practice will lower their blood pressure.
Objective: The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the use of meditation reduces blood pressure in the population of West Philadelphia community members.
Methods:
Initially, when patients access the healthcare clinic, their blood pressure is taken and eventually it may present as elevated or hypertensive; this is the population being targeted. Patients will be informed about the research and asked if they are interested in participating. If they agree, they will sign a consent form and be directed into the meditation room. First blood pressure will be taken, then meditation will be guided, relaxed and with soft music playing in the background for 5 minutes. After the completion of 5 minutes, a second blood pressure will be taken immediately again, and a questionnaire will be provided to know how the patient felt during the meditation and if they would be interested in performing meditation again. This is a prospective cross-sectional design utilizing the paired sample t-test. Based on SPSS statistical analysis a bare minimum of 27 participants is required, but we are trying to recruit an approximate of 50 participants. The power (0.80) is mainly affected by the sample size, effect size and significance. The study is a 1 tailed t-test, effects 0.5, a= 0.5 to obtain power of 0.80.
Results:
Results are still currently pending to get enough data for statistical analysis.
Discussion:
It is anticipated that the blood pressure will be lower after participating in meditation due to lower stress levels and slowing of the body.
Embargo Period
6-4-2026
Included in
Effects of Meditation on Blood Pressure
Philadelphia, PA
Introduction:
Hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor in the United States and is associated with serious complications, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and kidney failure, and other outcomes resulting from destroyed vessels. Although antihypertensive medications are widely used to manage hypertension, treatment is often limited by medication cost, polypharmacy, and poor adherence. Medication nonadherence remains a significant barrier to effective blood pressure control and is associated with adverse health outcomes, including increased mortality. Meditation, a stress-reduction intervention, may represent a feasible adjunctive therapy for the management of hypertension. We hypothesize that introducing people to meditation and encouraging them to continue its practice will lower their blood pressure.
Objective: The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the use of meditation reduces blood pressure in the population of West Philadelphia community members.
Methods:
Initially, when patients access the healthcare clinic, their blood pressure is taken and eventually it may present as elevated or hypertensive; this is the population being targeted. Patients will be informed about the research and asked if they are interested in participating. If they agree, they will sign a consent form and be directed into the meditation room. First blood pressure will be taken, then meditation will be guided, relaxed and with soft music playing in the background for 5 minutes. After the completion of 5 minutes, a second blood pressure will be taken immediately again, and a questionnaire will be provided to know how the patient felt during the meditation and if they would be interested in performing meditation again. This is a prospective cross-sectional design utilizing the paired sample t-test. Based on SPSS statistical analysis a bare minimum of 27 participants is required, but we are trying to recruit an approximate of 50 participants. The power (0.80) is mainly affected by the sample size, effect size and significance. The study is a 1 tailed t-test, effects 0.5, a= 0.5 to obtain power of 0.80.
Results:
Results are still currently pending to get enough data for statistical analysis.
Discussion:
It is anticipated that the blood pressure will be lower after participating in meditation due to lower stress levels and slowing of the body.