Social Prescribing for a Mindful Lifestyle

NCT07669805 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB115-107-A
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week mindfulness lifestyle social prescribing program in community-dwelling older adults aged 55 and older. The main questions it aims to answer are: To establish a mindfulness lifestyle social prescribing model applied to the psychological and social health promotion of middle-aged and older populations. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention on improving depressive symptoms, loneliness, and quality of life in this population. Participants will receive an 8-week group intervention program, with each weekly session lasting approximately 3 hours. The structured curriculum integrates mindfulness awareness, body scanning, mindfulness stretching, breathing training, healthy dietary education, and art practices (such as herbal therapy and leaf printing). Researchers will collect and evaluate data from pre- and post-intervention assessments to measure changes in depressive symptoms, loneliness risk, and overall quality of life.

Conditions

Depression and/or Anxiety in the Mild-to-moderate Range; Loneliness; Social Isolation

Keywords

Mindfulness; Older Adults; Lifestyle Medicine; Quality of Life; Social Prescribing

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Changes in Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) score

  The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is a 15-item questionnaire used to assess depression symptoms in older adults. Scores range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating more severe depressive symptoms.

  Baseline and Week 8

• Changes in UCLA Loneliness Scale score

  The UCLA Loneliness Scale measures an individual's subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. Scores range from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating greater loneliness.

  Baseline and Week 8

• Changes in WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire score

  The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) Taiwan version is a 28-item questionnaire used to assess the physical, psychological, social relationships, and environment domains of quality of life. Scores for each domain are transformed to a scale of 4 to 20, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Changes in scores were evaluated between baseline and week 8.

  Baseline and Week 8

Study Arms (1)

Experimental Arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Mindfulness Lifestyle Social Prescribing Program

Interventions

Mindfulness Lifestyle Social Prescribing Program BEHAVIORAL

An 8-week, once-weekly, 3-hour group program designed for middle-aged and older adults. The structured curriculum integrates mindfulness awareness, body scanning, mindfulness stretching, breathing training, healthy dietary education, and art practices (such as herbal therapy and leaf printing). It is delivered by a multidisciplinary team including geriatricians, case managers, dietitians, exercise instructors, and volunteers.

Experimental Arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 55 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• People aged 55 years or older.
• People with a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) score of 7-10 or a UCLA Loneliness Scale Version 3 score of 35-64.
• People can understand the research process, meet the requirements of the research, and can sign the informed consent and participate in the project.

You may not qualify if:

• People that are unable to cooperate with the project or follow-up.
• According to the PI's judgment, people with severe or poorly controlled conditions include ongoing acute diseases, severe infections, severe abnormal laboratory tests, or serious medical conditions with the following systems: cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, nervous, mental, metabolic, renal, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, etc.
• People with severe depression, risk of self-harm, severe cognitive impairment (dementia), visual or hearing impairment, and disabilities that prevent the completion of the project and assessment.
• People are currently or expected to join any other physical training courses or nutrition intervention plans during the project period.
• Others are based on the judgment of the PI that participating in this project may adversely affect the safety of the subjects, hinder the progress of the experiment, or interfere with the evaluation of the outcomes of the project.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

Hualien City, Taiwan, 97071, Taiwan

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2015 Mar;10(2):227-37. doi: 10.1177/1745691614568352.

  PMID: 25910392 BACKGROUND

• Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Layton JB. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010 Jul 27;7(7):e1000316. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316.

  PMID: 20668659 BACKGROUND

• Paquet C, Whitehead J, Shah R, Adams AM, Dooley D, Spreng RN, Aunio AL, Dube L. Social Prescription Interventions Addressing Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Meta-Review Integrating On-the-Ground Resources. J Med Internet Res. 2023 May 17;25:e40213. doi: 10.2196/40213.

  PMID: 37195738 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Social Isolation

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Social Behavior; Behavior

Study Officials

• Sheng-Lun Kao, MD. PhD.

  Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Sheng-Lun Kao, MD. PhD.

CONTACT

+886-3-8561825; stevenkao7434@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 21, 2026
• First Posted: June 25, 2026
• Study Start: July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2028
• Last Updated: June 25, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TW (1)