title: Tension Tamer: delivering meditation with objective heart rate acquisition for adherence monitoring using a smart phone platform.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This brief report demonstrates the proof of concept of the Tension Tamer (TT) smartphone application, which integrates photoplethysmograph capabilities with breathing awareness meditation (BAM), to reduce stress and measure heart rate and adherence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Methods for objectively measuring heart rate and adherence to BAM were developed as part of a future randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at Jerry Zucker Middle School of Science and the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were three prehypertensive male teachers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The method used was smartphone delivered BAM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Objective measures included heart rate, adherence, and ambulatory blood pressure (BP).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adherence data was successfully collected by the TT application. Increased adherence to TT coincided with increased improvements in ambulatory BP over a 3-month period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TT shows promise as a simple inexpensive program for administering BAM and capturing adherence data in future clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Center of Economic Excellence Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL), Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29245, USA. gregoski@musc.edu
authors.forename: Mathew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gregoski
authors.forename: Alexey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vertegel
authors.forename: Aleksey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaporev
authors.forename: Frank A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Treiber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D001794:Blood Pressure; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D040421:Cell Phone; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000379:methods*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D058246:Prehypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012119:Respiration; D013022:South Carolina; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000628:therapy*