Date Presented 04/22/21
In today's technology-based world, prolonged device use is common among college students. This quantitative study explores the effect of 2 weeks of mindfulness meditation on body awareness in college students. On the basis of preliminary data analysis, there is an increase in self-report of mindfulness and body awareness in the target population. These current findings support further exploration of mindfulness meditation to maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people.
Primary Author and Speaker: Kimberly Szucs
Additional Authors and Speakers: Patricia Coker-Bolt
Contributing Authors: Dorothea Jenkins
PURPOSE: Previous research has indicated that over 95% of college students use a laptop for school-related tasks daily, with â…“ of these students using their laptop for 4-6 hours per day. This has certainly increased during the current global pandemic. Almost 50% of college-age students may experience musculoskeletal symptoms, in addition to difficulty maintaining proper body positioning during prolonged device use (Szucs et al., 2018; Woo et al., 2016). Studies have shown positive impacts of mind and body awareness with proprioception training, ergonomics, and decreased pain (Ribera et al., 2015; Butwin et al., 2017). The purpose of this research study is to explore the effect of mindfulness on proprioception and posture in college students after a two-week mindfulness meditation practice. The research questions are: 1) does a two-week mindfulness meditation training improve body awareness? 2) does upper limb joint sense improve following mindfulness meditation training? 3) does posture during functional activity improve following mindfulness meditation training?
DESIGN: This study utilizes a pre/post experimental design, collecting quantitative data. Participants are purposively sampled from the student population at Duquesne University via word of mouth. Participants include individuals enrolled at the university, age 18-25, without a history of musculoskeletal or neurological disorders. Currently, 17 subjects have participated in the study with a recruitment goal of 20-25 participants.
METHODS: 13 female and 4 male participants (average age 20.8 years) have completed data collection. Over 2 weeks, participants attend 3 in-lab sessions (Days 1, 8, 15) and complete daily guided mindfulness meditations. Pre-/post- data using the following measures are collected at the first and third lab session. The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI) assesses a person's self-perceived level of mindfulness. The PostureScreen App is used to assess alignment and posture of subjects while performing seated laptop and tablet tasks. In addition, the Angles App is used to measure accuracy of participant upper extremity angles during a proprioception activity.
RESULTS: Data collection is on hold but will resume as physical distancing requirements allow. 14/17 participants report an increase or sustained perception of mindfulness and body awareness based on scores from the FMI. A paired t-test compared FMI pre-/post- responses, with a statistically significant increase in participants' report of mindfulness (p = 0.002). 15/17 participants report plans to continue mindfulness meditation after study completion. A sub-analysis compared questions specifically focused on body awareness, with a statistically significant increase post-intervention (p = 0.001). For preliminary analysis, a paired t-test was run on shoulder flexion angles measured during the pre-/post- proprioception task. Participants performed the task with slightly improved accuracy in the post-condition but this was not statistically different (p = 0.51). Data analysis on posture variables has not yet been completed.
CONCLUSION: Based on preliminary data analysis, 2 weeks of mindfulness meditation practice increases feelings of mindfulness and self-perceived body awareness in college-age students. Despite a statistical increase in self-perceived body awareness, proprioception of the upper limb was not improved. These current findings align with the occupational therapy profession's movement toward maximizing health, well-being and quality of life for all. Mindfulness meditation has the potential to directly impact an individual's ability to fully participate in daily occupations, whether it be at home, at work, or at school and should continue to be explored in this context.
References
Szucs, K. A., Cicuto, K., & Rakow, M. (2018). A comparison of upper body and limb postures across technology and handheld device use in college students. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 30(10), 1293-1300. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.30.1293.
Woo, E. H. C., White, P., & Lai, C. W. K. (2016). Musculoskeletal impact of the use of various types of electronic devices on university students in Hong Kong: An evaluation by means of self-reported questionnaire. Manual Therapy, 26, 47-53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.math.2016.07.004.
Butwin, A. N., Evans, K. D., Klatt, M., & Sommerich, C. M. (2017). Teaching a series of mind-body techniques to address the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among sonography students: A pilot study. Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 33(5), 392-403. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756479317720657.
Puig-Ribera A, Bort-Roig J, González-Suárez AM, Martínez-Lemos I, Giné-Garriga M, Fortuño J, et al. (2015) Patterns of Impact Resulting from a -˜Sit Less, Move More’ Web-Based Program in Sedentary Office Employees. PLoS ONE 10(4): e0122474. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0122474
