Author(s): ROSTAMI, S., BERMUDO-GALLAGUET, A., CAMINS-VILA, N., FERRER-URIS, B., BUSQUETS, A., RIBERA, M., SLATER, M., LARROSA, M., BRUNA RABASSA, O., GUERRA-BALIC, M., ERICKSON, K.I., BROWN, B., MATARÓ, M., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA, Country: SPAIN, Abstract-ID: 1622

INTRODUCTION:
Mental health difficulties among young people are a major public health concern, and many emerge during the transition to university. During this time, students often reduce physical activity and many experience anxiety or depression, which can impair well-being and cognition. Practical well-being strategies are urgently needed to support mental, physical, and cognitive health.
METHODS:
We conducted a three-arm pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT). Due to recruitment constraints, fifty-three participants were randomized to Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; n = 18), Qigong (QG; n = 18), or High-Intensity Functional Training (HIFT; n = 17). Participants completed three online sessions per week for 12 weeks. Attendance for online classes was recorded and tracked by instructors using Excel spreadsheets. Adherence was assessed based on session attendance. Outcomes included self-reported mental health and lifestyle measures, cognitive domains, and physical fitness indicators, assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Between-group differences were examined using analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline values, age, and sex, and within-group changes were assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.
RESULTS:
Adherence differed significantly between groups (p=0.010), with median adherence of 90.00% in MBSR, 70.50% in QG, and 91.60% in HIFT. Between-group comparisons showed no statistically significant differences in any outcomes. Within-group analyses indicated improvements across multiple outcomes. In the MBSR group, significant improvements were observed in total mindfulness (p=0.005), self-esteem (p=0.005), memory (p<0.001), and attention and processing speed (p=0.003). In the QG group, self-esteem (p=0.040), cardiorespiratory fitness (p=0.038), and memory (p=0.019) improved. In the HIFT group, self-esteem (p=0.006), sleep quality (PSQI, p=0.032), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (p=0.045), memory (p=0.030), and processing speed (p=0.045) showed improvement. Overall, effect sizes were small to moderate.
CONCLUSION:
In this pilot RCT, we observed limited evidence of between-group differences across outcomes, consistent with the limited precision from the small sample size and a relatively healthy baseline profile of participants. However, several outcomes improved within groups across mental health, cognition, and physical fitness domains, suggesting that physical exercise and mind-body interventions may confer domain-specific benefits that should be tested in a larger trial. These findings provide a quantitative basis to refine recruitment and implementation procedures and to design a definitive trial with prespecified primary endpoints and adequate statistical power.