Abstract
African Americans report higher rates of chronic stress compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Consequently, chronic stress contributes to disproportionately higher rates of poor health outcomes among African Americans. Mindfulness meditation is a well-established and studied strategy to reduce stress and potentially improve health outcomes. However, the practice of mindfulness meditation is largely underutilized in African American communities despite its potential health benefits. In this commentary, we will discuss the relevance of mindfulness interventions, limited research available, reasons for low representation, and cultural adaptations for mindfulness meditation in African American communities. We also provide additional strategies to guide future mindfulness research that target African Americans.
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This project was supported by a research supplement to promote diversity in health-related research grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (R01DK108141S) and a career development award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (K01HL149775-01).
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Biggers, A., Spears, C.A., Sanders, K. et al. Promoting Mindfulness in African American Communities. Mindfulness 11, 2274–2282 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01480-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01480-w