Feasibility
The enrollment rate was 77%. Of the 71 enrollees, 26 (37%) completed the study. However, 42 (66%) participants completed baseline and immediate post-intervention visits. Of the SS non-completers, 9 (50%) were men, the mean age was 57 ± 13, and 10 (56%) were non-Hispanic Black, 5 (28%) non-Hispanic White, and 3 (17%) Hispanic ethnicity. Of the IC non-completers, 3 (22%) were men, the mean age was 50 ± 17, and 5 (36%) were non-Hispanic Black, 3 (21%) non-Hispanic White, and 5 (36%) Hispanic ethnicity.The mean questionnaire completion rate was 95%, with rates of 96% for participants in the intervention group and 93% for participants in the control group. Fifty-four (84%) participants completed questionnaires at baseline compared to 42 (66%) participants at week 4, 31 (48%) participants at week 8, and 27 (42%) participants at week 12. In total, 12 SS requested, at least once, to complete the questionnaires via pen and paper versus electronic questionnaires compared to four IC. At baseline, 67 (100%) participants provided a blood sample, including the three participants who were deemed ineligible after enrollment. Immediately after intervention completion, 32 (50%) of the 64 participants provided a blood sample, compared to 21 (33%) participants 4 and 8 weeks after intervention completion.The median meditation group session attendance rate was 75.0%, and the mean attendance rate was 55%. SS mean attendance rate was 59% (median of 76%) and 48% (median of 50%) in IC. Thirty-one (72%) participants attended at least one session. Among these 31 participants, 71% attended 3 or 4 sessions, and 94% attended at least 2 sessions. Both participants in 7 of the 11 dyads (64% of dyads) attended either 3 or 4 sessions. Of the 16 SS enrolled as individuals, 81% attended at least 2 sessions. In contrast, among the 5 IC enrolled as individuals, 40% did not attend any sessions, and the remaining 60% attended 1 or 2 sessions.Of the 43 participants in the intervention group, 28 (65%) completed at least one daily meditation practice questionnaire. Among the SS, 70% submitted at least one practice questionnaire, compared to 56% of the IC. The mean proportion of questionnaires indicating participants had meditated was 96%. Practice questionnaire responses indicated meditation frequency ranged from three times a week to several times daily. Of the 19 participants who completed at least one questionnaire after the intervention phase, 17 (89%) meditated. See Additional File 