Improving Cardiometabolic Health With Meditative Movement in Mobility Impaired Women
Arizona State University
Summary
REVIVE is a randomized controlled trial designed to evaluate the effects of a remotely delivered seated Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) intervention on cardiometabolic health, stress, sleep, and psychological well-being among women with mobility impairments. Women with mobility impairments experience higher rates of obesity, cardiometabolic disease, chronic stress, sleep disturbances, and mental health concerns compared with women without disabilities. Limited access to accessible physical activity programs and barriers to participation in traditional exercise interventions contribute to these health disparities. Tai Chi and Qigong are gentle mind-body practices that may improve physical and psychological health through movement, breathing, and mindfulness techniques and can be adapted for individuals with limited mobility. Participants will be randomized to either a seated Tai Chi/Qigong intervention or a health education video control condition. During the 12-week intervention phase, participants will receive daily video-based content delivered remotely. Participants assigned to the Tai Chi/Qigong group will engage in seated meditative movement practices, while participants assigned to the control group will receive health and wellness education videos unrelated to physical activity or nutrition behavior change. Outcomes will be assessed remotely at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Primary outcomes include waist circumference and indicators of physiological stress regulation, including heart rate variability and salivary cortisol. Secondary outcomes include perceived stress, emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, emotional eating, sleep quality, and sleep disturbance. Additional measures collected through wearable technology, sleep diaries, questionnaires, and biological samples will be used to examine potential behavioral, psychological, and physiological mechanisms underlying intervention effects. The findings from this study will contribute to the development of accessible, scalable, and evidence-based health promotion interventions designed to improve cardiometabolic health and overall well-being among women with mobility impairments.
Description
Women with mobility impairments experience disproportionately high rates of obesity, cardiometabolic disease, chronic stress, sleep disturbances, depression, anxiety, and reduced quality of life compared with women without disabilities. Despite these health disparities, accessible physical activity and stress management interventions specifically designed for women with mobility impairments remain limited. Barriers such as transportation challenges, inaccessible facilities, pain, fatigue, environmental constraints, and lack of disability-adapted programming often prevent participation in tradi…