Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Depression and Insulin Resistance in Adolescents

March 13, 2026 updated by: Colorado State University
Rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adolescents have escalated. Adolescent-onset is associated with greater health comorbidities and shorter life expectancy than adult-onset T2D. T2D is preventable by decreasing insulin resistance, a physiological precursor to T2D. T2D prevention standard-of-care is lifestyle intervention to decrease insulin resistance through weight loss; yet, this approach is insufficiently effective in adolescents. Adolescents at risk for T2D frequently experience depression, which predicts worsening insulin resistance and T2D onset, even after accounting for obesity. Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) may offer a targeted, integrative health approach to decrease depression, and thereby, ameliorate insulin resistance in adolescents at risk for T2D. In a single-site, pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT), we established initial feasibility/acceptability of a 6-week group MBI program, Learning to BREATHE, in adolescents at risk for T2D. We demonstrated feasible single-site recruitment, randomization, retention, protocol adherence, and MBI acceptability/credibility in the target population. Our preliminary data also suggest MBI may lead to greater reductions in stress-related behavior, vs. CBT and a didactic/health education (HealthEd) control group. The current study is multisite, pilot RCT to test multisite fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability in preparation for a future multisite efficacy trial that will have strong external validity, timely recruitment, and long-term follow-up. Adolescents (N=120) at risk for T2D will be randomized to MBI vs. CBT vs. HealthEd and followed for 1-year. Specific aims are to: (1) test multisite fidelity of training and implementation of 6-week group MBI, CBT, and HealthEd, to teens at risk for T2D; (2) evaluate multisite feasibility/acceptability of recruitment, retention, and adherence for an RCT of 6-week group MBI, CBT, HealthEd with 6-week and 1-year follow-up; and (3) modify intervention training/implementation and protocol procedures in preparation for a future, fully-powered multisite efficacy RCT.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Colorado
      • Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
        • University of Colorado Denver/Children's Hospital Colorado
      • Fort Collins, Colorado, United States, 80523
        • Colorado State University
    • District of Columbia
      • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20010
        • Children's National Health System
    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20814
        • Uniformed Services University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

12 years to 17 years (Child)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adolescent: Age 12-17 years
  • At-risk for T2D:

Overweight/obesity: BMI ≥85 percentile for age and sex Family history of T2D: ≥1 relative with T2D, prediabetes, or gestational diabetes in first- or second- degree relative, referring to a biological parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent

  • Elevated depression symptoms: Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale (CES-D) total score >20
  • Good general health: Medical history/physical examination
  • Parent/guardian: Parent/guardian of qualifying participant

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major medical problem: including T2D, assessed at baseline/screening as fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL or 2-hour glucose ≥200 mg/dL, or any other significant medical condition reported during the medical history/physical examination
  • Major psychiatric problem: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 psychiatric diagnosis, including anorexia nervosa, bipolar disorder, bulimia nervosa, conduct disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychosis, and substance/tobacco/alcohol use disorder
  • Regular medication use affecting mood, insulin, and/or weight: anti-anxiety medications, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, insulin sensitizers, mood stabilizers, stimulants, and weight loss drugs
  • Active suicidal ideation or behavior
  • Regular psychotherapy or structured weight loss treatment
  • Pregnancy: as reported by adolescent participants (females)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Mindfulness-Based Intervention
6-week group intervention, Learning to BREATHE, an adolescent mindfulness-based intervention derived from mindfulness-based stress reduction
Behavioral: Mindfulness-Based Intervention
6-week mindfulness-based intervention of 6 weekly 1 hour group sessions
Active Comparator: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
6-week group intervention, the Blues Program, a cognitive-behavioral intervention for adolescents with elevated symptoms of depression
Behavioral: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
6-week cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention of 6 weekly 1 hour group sessions
Other: Health Education
6-week group program providing didactic information on adolescent health topics
Behavioral: Health Education
6-week health education didactic program of 6 weekly 1 hour group sessions

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intervention Fidelity
Time Frame: 12-months
Facilitators score ≥8 on adherence and competence ratings of MBI, CBT, and HealthEd adolescent group sessions (1=poor to 10=exceptional)
12-months
Recruitment Feasibility: Percentage of Eligible Adolescents Who Enroll
Time Frame: 12-months
≥80% eligible adolescents will enroll
12-months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Intervention Feasibility: Attendance
Time Frame: 6-weeks
≥80% adolescents attend 5:6 (80%) group MBI/CBT/HealthEd sessions
6-weeks
Intervention Acceptability: Likeability/Credibility Ratings
Time Frame: 6-weeks
≥80% adolescent liking/credibility ratings ≥4 (1=not at all to 5=extremely)
6-weeks
Intervention Acceptability: Qualitative Themes
Time Frame: 6-weeks
Themes indicative of acceptability of interventions, as derived from grounded theory/qualitative analysis of adolescent focus-groups at post-intervention
6-weeks
Assessment Feasibility: Percentage Accuracy of Protocols
Time Frame: 18-months
≥95% accuracy on standardized protocol checklists for all assessments
18-months
Training Fidelity: Facilitator Knowledge After Training
Time Frame: 6-months
Facilitators score ≥80% on post-training knowledge/ competency tests of MBI, CBT, and HealthEd
6-months
Training Fidelity: Facilitator Adherence and Competence During Mock Sessions
Time Frame: 6-months
Facilitators score ≥8 on adherence and competence ratings of MBI, CBT, and HealthEd mock group sessions (1=poor to 10=exceptional)
6-months
Recruitment Feasibility
Time Frame: 24-months
Attainment of target N=120 within a 12-month period; CONSORT flow/number of months to reach recruitment goal
24-months
Retention Feasibility
Time Frame: 12-months
≥80% at post-treatment follow-up and ≥70% at 1-year follow-up
12-months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Colorado State University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
University of Colorado, Denver
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Children's National Research Institute
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 5, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 21, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 26, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 21, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 29, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 13, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20-2649
  • 1U01AT011008 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 5R01AT011008 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Data will be made available upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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