# Improving Physical Activity Participation in Latinas with Mindfulness

> **NIH NIH R01** · BROWN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $722,190

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Health disparities for Latinas remain a persistent problem leading to increased incidence of chronic disease,
comorbidities and premature mortality. The NIH has called for interventions that improve adherence to
prevention regimens (NOT-OD-21-100) because of the potential to decrease health disparities by reducing
disparities in meeting health guidelines. There has been little research into interventions to improve meeting
and adhering to behavioral health guidelines, especially in understudied Latinas. Often the process of adopting
new health habits is challenging for marginalized communities who have fewer resources and time to invest in
healthy behaviors. In particular, stress can be a barrier to adopting new habits. This study aims to address the
everyday stress faced in the general population of Latina women in their daily lives that can be interfering with
their ability to adhere to prevention regimens such as meeting physical activity (PA) guidelines. Our research
team has significantly improved total PA minutes and the number of Latinas meeting PA guidelines through
rigorous research and theory-based interventions, delivered remotely with technology. Nonetheless, only 40%
of women meet PA guidelines at 6 months. We have shown that participants who experience the stress
relieving benefits of PA, regardless of baseline stress levels, are more likely to meet and adhere to PA
guidelines and that Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) can increase PA minutes, improve other
health behaviors, as well as reduce stress. It is our goal to optimize our PA intervention by integrating the most
potent ingredients from MBSR for those women who do not meet PA guidelines at 6 months. With an
innovative SMART design, all participants, inactive Latinas aged 18-65 (n=258), will receive our evidence
based PA intervention. At 6 months, participants will be objectively assessed for meeting PA guidelines.
Women who meet the guidelines will continue to receive the standard intermittent PA for another 6 months.
Women who do not meet the PA guidelines (»60%), will be randomized to continue intensive PA counseling or
attention matched PA counseling incorporating the most potent components from MBSR adapted for PA.
Participants in all arms will be followed and compared over 18 months. We will also rigorously evaluate stress
as a mechanism for meeting PA guidelines using multiple measures to better assess the causal relationship
including cortisol, self report, and daily Ecological Momentary Assessment and stress context. Finally, we will
strengthen evidence for the longer term heart health benefits of meeting PA guidelines and reducing stress, by
using laboratory based assessments of weight, blood pressure, HbA1c, and lipid profiles. This study has the
potential to advance intervention science by optimizing an evidence based intervention to deliver greater
improvements in health behaviors and health outcomes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10979305
- **Project number:** 1R01HL171195-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BROWN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** BESS Hya MARCUS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $722,190
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-05 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10979305

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10979305, Improving Physical Activity Participation in Latinas with Mindfulness (1R01HL171195-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10979305. Licensed CC0.

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