Live coaching in a mindfulness app for IBS in young adults
Official title: Live Coaching Support Integration in Digital Mindfulness Training
Funded at Equa Health, INC. · NIH-11405169 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A digital mindfulness program for IBS in young adults will add live coaching to see if it keeps people engaged and helps reduce symptoms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Equa Health, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $325,417 |
| NIH project number | 1R44DK145303-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11405169 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Young adults aged 18–30 with IBS who are willing to use a mindfulness app and participate in a coaching-enabled program.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without IBS or those not interested in using a digital mindfulness app with coaching.
What this research studies
Irritable bowel syndrome can be stressful and hard to manage, especially for young adults. This project adds real-time coaching features to a proven mindfulness app to boost engagement and satisfaction. They will first build secure in-app coaching tools and then compare user experience between the coached app and the standard version in 60 participants. If feasible and favorable, they will test whether live coaching also improves IBS-related symptoms in a second phase. The goal is to see if live coaching makes the digital program more usable, enjoyable, and effective for IBS in young adults.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with IBS may experience better symptom control and a more engaging digital tool to support stress management.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests coaching can improve engagement in digital health tools, with this study extending it to IBS and mindfulness.
Where this research is happening
-
Equa Health, INC.
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Creswell, John David — Equa Health, INC.
- Study coordinator: Creswell, John David
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.