Aggarwal Abhishek, Qiao Shan, Yang Chih-Hsiang, Taylor Slone, Tam Cheuk Chi, Li Xiaoming
Department of Health Promotion Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, United States of America.
South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, United States of America.
PLOS Digit Health. 2025 Apr 8;4(4):e0000794. doi: 10.1371/journal.pdig.0000794. eCollection 2025 Apr.
COVID-19 long haulers face profound psychosocial stressors (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD) and physical health challenges (e.g., brain fog, fatigue). This study tests the feasibility and initial impact of a digitally delivered mindful-walking (MW) intervention for improving the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of COVID-19 long haulers. We recruited 23 participants via Facebook groups, between March and November 2021, for a 4-week online MW intervention (i.e., 2 mindfulness practice sessions per week), that was delivered entirely through the study Facebook group. The intervention was assessed using mixed methods. Quantitative data were collected through brief daily evening surveys (i.e., 28 days) over the 4-week intervention period, and measured affect, cognition, mindfulness, physical activity, and MW engagement. Qualitative data were extracted from the Facebook group's Paradata (i.e., participant feedback, engagement metrics, and all social media interactions). Multilevel modeling was employed for the statistical analysis and a pragmatic approach was used for the qualitative analysis. The participants reported a high feasibility score (mean=4.93/7, SD=1.88), which was comprised of perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and ease of use. Those who engaged in MW, on any given day, frequently reported better psychosocial moods with more positive affect (β=0.89, p<0.01), less negative affect (β=-0.83, p<0.01), higher perceived cognitive ability (β=0.52, p<0.05), and more physical activity (β=0.41, p<0.05). Additionally, participants who practiced MW more consistently during the study reported higher levels of momentary mindfulness (β=0.3 p<0.01). Participants expressed satisfaction with the intervention, reporting benefits such as better symptom management and an overall improvement in wellbeing. Despite the small sample size, the digital delivery of our MW intervention via Facebook showed high acceptability. Preliminary efficacy findings indicate improved mental wellbeing and physical activity among long haulers. Larger-scale RCTs are needed in the future to improve the robustness and applicability of findings.
新冠长期症状患者面临着深刻的心理社会压力源（如抑郁、焦虑、创伤后应激障碍）和身体健康挑战（如脑雾、疲劳）。本研究测试了一种通过数字方式提供的正念行走（MW）干预措施对改善新冠长期症状患者的身体和心理社会福祉的可行性和初步影响。我们在2021年3月至11月期间通过脸书群组招募了23名参与者，进行为期4周的在线MW干预（即每周2次正念练习课程），该干预完全通过研究脸书群组进行。使用混合方法对干预措施进行评估。在为期4周的干预期内，通过每日简短的晚间调查（即28天）收集定量数据，并测量情感、认知、正念、身体活动和MW参与度。定性数据从脸书群组的辅助数据中提取（即参与者反馈、参与指标和所有社交媒体互动）。采用多层次建模进行统计分析，并采用务实方法进行定性分析。参与者报告的可行性得分较高（平均=4.93/7，标准差=1.88），该得分包括感知有用性、满意度和易用性。在任何一天参与MW的人经常报告心理社会情绪更好，积极情感更多（β=0.89，p<0.01），消极情感更少（β=-0.83，p<0.01），感知认知能力更高（β=0.52，p<0.05），身体活动更多（β=0.41，p<0.05）。此外，在研究期间更持续练习MW的参与者报告的瞬间正念水平更高（β=0.3，p<0.01）。参与者对干预措施表示满意，报告了更好的症状管理等益处以及整体福祉的改善。尽管样本量较小，但我们通过脸书进行的MW干预的数字交付显示出较高的可接受性。初步疗效结果表明长期症状患者的心理健康和身体活动有所改善。未来需要进行更大规模的随机对照试验，以提高研究结果的稳健性和适用性。
