From Health Information to Health Decisions Integrating Mindfulness Into Digital Learning and Daily Life

University of Macau

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: E-health Literacy; Media Literacy; Food Literacy; Health Literacy

Treatments: Behavioral: Mindfulness; Behavioral: e-Health Literacy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07157566

HE-0947-2025

Details and patient eligibility

About

This research project aims to explore how combining e-health literacy with mindfulness practices can help university students navigate the complex landscape of e-health information and make more informed, healthier choices. Specifically, the study will assess the current levels of e-health literacy, food literacy, and media literacy among university students, and examine how these factors are related to critical thinking, decision-making confidence, and overall well-being. The project will involve a 4-arm design, including: (1) a mindfulness group, (2) an e-health group, (3) a mindfulness + e-health Group, and (4) a Control Group. Participants in the intervention groups will engage in short mindfulness exercises focused on mindful eating and movement during break times and cool-down sessions of their Physical Education (PE) classes. Additionally, digital health content (e.g., videos and articles) will be provided to enhance e-health literacy. This could lead to better-informed, more confident students who are able to make healthier choices in their daily lives, both during their university years and into the future.

Study Aim

To evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week intervention delivered during PE classes, comparing the effects of:

1. Mindfulness Group 2. E-health Group 3. Mindfulness + E-health Group 4. Control Group The intervention will assess changes in students' e-health literacy, food literacy, media literacy, critical thinking, self-compassion and decision-making self-efficacy over time, with assessments at pre-test, post-test, and 4-week follow-up.

Study Hypotheses:

1. Students in the mindfulness group, e-health group, and combined group will show significantly greater improvements in all outcome measures from pre-test to post-test compared to the control group.
2. The combined group will demonstrate the greatest gains in literacy and cognitive outcomes, due to the additive effect of both interventions.
3. Improvements will be maintained at the 4-week follow-up, particularly in the combined group.

Full description

This study aims to explore the effects of mindfulness practice and e-health interventions on e-health literacy, media literacy, food literacy, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities among university students.

Research Objectives: To investigate the impact of mindfulness practice and e-health interventions on university students' e-health literacy, media literacy, food literacy, critical thinking, and decision-making abilities, and to evaluate their short-term effectiveness.

Participants: 268 university students aged between 18 and 25 who are willing to participate in mindfulness activities during and after class and receive e-health-related information.

Study Procedure:

1. Baseline Assessment: Includes questionnaires on e-health literacy, media literacy, critical thinking, and food literacy, as well as tests conducted using E-Prime software.

2. Intervention: Participants will take part in an 8-week program during their physical education classes and leisure time. They will be randomly assigned to one of four groups:

   Mindfulness Group: Engage in mindful eating and mindful movement exercises during each physical education class (approximately 20 minutes).

   E-health Group: Read or listen to two push notifications of e-health information per week, covering topics such as health management, stress and sleep, nutrition, and behavior change.

   Combined Group: Participate in both mindfulness practice and receive e-health information.

   Control Group: Receive no additional intervention and participate only in regular physical education classes.

3. Post-Intervention Assessment: Immediately after the 8-week intervention, participants will complete the same questionnaires and E-Prime tests as at baseline to assess immediate effects.

4. Follow-Up Assessment: Four weeks after the intervention ends, the same set of measurements will be conducted again to evaluate the sustainability of the intervention effects.

5. Interviews (Optional): With your consent, semi-structured or unstructured interviews may be conducted during and after the intervention to gain in-depth insights into your experiences and perceptions.

Statistical Analysis: A mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA) or analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) will be used to compare the effects across different time points. Post-hoc tests will be conducted to identify specific differences between the various groups and across different time points. The significance level will be set at a p-value of less than 0.05.

Enrollment: 268 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 25 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Mindfulness Group

1. Currently enrolled in a Physical Education (PE) class.
2. Aged between 18 and 25 years.
3. Willing to participate in the 8-week intervention and provide informed consent.
4. Generally healthy and able to engage in physical activity.
5. Proficient in Chinese.

E-health Group

1. Currently enrolled in a Physical Education (PE) class.
2. Aged between 18 and 25 years.
3. Willing to participate in the 8-week intervention and provide informed consent.
4. Generally healthy and able to engage in physical activity.
5. Proficient in Chinese.

Mindfulness + E-health Group

1. Currently enrolled in a Physical Education (PE) class.
2. Aged between 18 and 25 years.
3. Willing to participate in the 8-week intervention and provide informed consent.
4. Generally healthy and able to engage in physical activity.
5. Proficient in Chinese.

Control Group

1. Currently enrolled in a Physical Education (PE) class.
2. Aged between 18 and 25 years.
3. Willing to participate in the 8-week intervention and provide informed consent.
4. Generally healthy and able to engage in physical activity.
5. Proficient in Chinese.

Exclusion criteria

Mindfulness Group

1. Currently studying in medical, nutrition, or health-related fields.
2. Pregnant or lactating.
3. Severe mental health conditions or cognitive impairments affecting participation.
4. Currently participating in other mindfulness or digital health programs.
5. Involved in competitive sports (e.g., varsity athletes).
6. Recent major life events (e.g., trauma or major illness) within the last 6 months.
7. Unable to participate in PE classes due to medical or personal reasons.

E-health Group

1. Currently studying in medical, nutrition, or health-related fields.
2. Pregnant or lactating.
3. Severe mental health conditions or cognitive impairments affecting participation.
4. Currently participating in other mindfulness or digital health programs.
5. Involved in competitive sports (e.g., varsity athletes).
6. Recent major life events (e.g., trauma or major illness) within the last 6 months.
7. Unable to participate in PE classes due to medical or personal reasons.

Mindfulness + E-health Group

1. Currently studying in medical, nutrition, or health-related fields.
2. Pregnant or lactating.
3. Severe mental health conditions or cognitive impairments affecting participation.
4. Currently participating in other mindfulness or digital health programs.
5. Involved in competitive sports (e.g., varsity athletes).
6. Recent major life events (e.g., trauma or major illness) within the last 6 months.
7. Unable to participate in PE classes due to medical or personal reasons.

Control Group

1. Currently studying in medical, nutrition, or health-related fields.
2. Pregnant or lactating.
3. Severe mental health conditions or cognitive impairments affecting participation.
4. Currently participating in other mindfulness or digital health programs.
5. Involved in competitive sports (e.g., varsity athletes).
6. Recent major life events (e.g., trauma or major illness) within the last 6 months.
7. Unable to participate in PE classes due to medical or personal reasons.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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268 participants in 4 patient groups

Mindfulness Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will engage in an 8-week program integrating mindful eating and mindful movement practices into their regular physical education classes. Each session includes 10 minutes of mindful eating exercises designed to enhance awareness of hunger and satiety cues, sensory experiences of food, and emotional responses to eating. The final 10 minutes of each session consist of mindful movement exercises, combining physical postures and movements with mindfulness techniques to improve food literacy, physical literacy, and social-emotional competencies.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mindfulness

E-health Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will receive two digital health information materials per week via Moodle or email, each requiring approximately 5-10 minutes of reading time. The topics of the materials include: health literacy; nutrition; exercise and stress; mental health and sleep; and behavior change and integration. These aim to enhance participants' digital health literacy, media literacy, and related competencies.

Treatment:

Behavioral: e-Health Literacy

Mindfulness + E-health Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will engage in an 8-week program that integrates mindful eating and mindful movement practices into their regular physical education classes, while also receiving digital health information materials to enhance their e-health literacy. The program is designed to improve participants' food literacy, physical literacy, social-emotional competencies, e-health literacy, and media literacy through a combination of practical exercises and educational content.

Treatment:

Behavioral: e-Health Literacy

Behavioral: Mindfulness

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group will follow their regular physical education classes without incorporating any mindfulness practices or digital health information materials. The control group will engage in standard activities and curricula designed for university physical education, which may include various physical training, sports, and theoretical instruction related to health and fitness.