Mindfulness meditation with breathing biofeedback
Official title: Mindfulness Meditation and Respiration Biosignal Feedback
Funded at Equa Health, INC. · NIH-11393482 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project sees if adding real-time breathing feedback to a mindfulness app helps young adults with anxiety, depression, or loneliness stick with the app and feel less distressed.
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 | July 15, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $918,146 |
| NIH project number | 4R44MH134709-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11393482 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are young adults (about 18–30 years) experiencing anxiety, depressive symptoms, or loneliness who are willing to use a smartphone app and a breathing sensor.
✕Less likely to help
People outside the target age range, those with severe unmanaged psychiatric illness, or those unwilling to use a smartphone or wearable breathing sensor may not benefit from or be eligible for this project.
What this research studies
You would use the Equa smartphone app and a small breathing sensor that shows your breathing in real time so you can see how your skills change. Participants are randomized into three different groups to compare versions of the app and the new respiration-feedback feature. The project first checks that the breathing-feedback tool works well for distressed young adults, then runs a larger test to see if it increases engagement and improves feelings of loneliness, anxiety, or depression. Your app use, breathing signals, and self-reported mood will be tracked over the follow-up period.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help young adults stay engaged with mindfulness practice and reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier controlled trials of this digital mindfulness training have shown benefits for mental distress, but adding respiration biosignal feedback is a new feature being tested.
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.