Participants Needed for Kent State, Summa Health System Prehypertension Study (6/2/08)
Participants are needed for a Kent State University/Summa Health System study on the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction and progressive muscle relaxation on people with prehypertension. The Stress Management in Lifestyle Enhancement (SMiLE) study is an eight-week program that examines whether or not adding stress management to a healthy lifestyle will help lower blood pressure.
Five groups have completed the SMiLE program. The next group will begin in July, and participants for this new round are being sought. The study is halfway done so new participants are always accepted.
Individuals may be eligible for this study if they are between the ages of 30 and 60, their blood pressure is in the range of 120-139 Systolic/ 80-89 Diastolic, they are not taking medicine to treat high blood pressure and they are willing to commit to either the mindfulness-based stress reduction treatment or the progressive muscle relaxation-based stress reduction treatment.
“Each year,more and more Americans are diagnosed with high blood pressure,” says Joel Hughes, Ph.D., Kent State assistant professor of psychology and Summa study investigator. “The goal of the SMiLE study is to identify treatment options during the prehypertensive stage that also will lead to a healthier community and, hopefully, a reversal of the growing number of people with heart disease.”
As part of the mindfulness-based treatment, study participants will use meditation and thinking strategies to help reduce stress. Participants using progressive muscle relaxation will apply alternating tensing and relaxing of muscles to produce a calm feeling and stress reduction. All participants will have their blood pressure regularly monitored throughout the study.
For those interested in participating in the SMiLE study or for additional information, call 330-375-6272 or visit www.smilestudy.org.