A Personalized Trial is an experiment conducted within one individual. Each Personalized Trial is designed like a clinical study, providing a schedule and all the tools necessary to help you understand how a particular treatment may impact you. In the Personalized Trial for Stress Management, we will ask you to try several stress interventions while we ask questions about how you feel each day. You’ll use a Fitbit to monitor any impact the interventions may have on your sleep and activity. At the end of the study, we will send you a report of the data we observed.

The purpose of this study is to determine if this type of study design (N-of-1 study design), or what we are terming “Personalized Trials”, can improve health outcomes over standard practice using common stress management techniques.

This personalized trial is for adults aged 18 and older who suffer from stress.

After confirmation of eligibility and informed consent, study participants will undergo and test the effectiveness of three different stress management interventions. This is a 100% at-home virtual study; there are no in-person visits involved.

The study will take place over the course of 18 weeks. The first two weeks will be a “baseline” period, where no stress management interventions are completed, but data are collected through daily surveys sent via text message and a Fitbit device to get a sense of participant’s usual stress. 

Those who are eligible based on their adherence will then be randomized to receive 12-weeks of either a random schedule of guided mindfulness meditation, yoga, and brisk walking, or be given the opportunity to complete these interventions at their own pace. Participants will still be asked to wear the Fitbit and answer text message surveys during these weeks.

At the end of these 12 weeks, participants will continue to answer daily surveys and wear their Fitbit device for 2 weeks with no intervention (just like the baseline period) while the study team creates a report containing the participant’s observed data. Participants will then have the opportunity to select their preferred stress management technique to complete for an additional 2 weeks, along with the same daily surveys and Fitbit wear as during previous weeks. At the end of the 18-week study, a final survey will be sent assessing satisfaction with the study.

No – if you do not already have an appropriate Fitbit device for the study, then we will provide you one. We will also provide the intervention videos/audios.

Participants will have the opportunity to win a weekly lottery in the form of a $100pay card pending their 80% adherence to study procedures during intervention weeks.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact The Personalized Trial for Stress Management Team at personalizedtrials@northwell.edu, or call us at 646-995-8958.