Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Mindful Movement Program to Improve Mental Health in Urban High School Students

Objective: This study reports on a mixed methods evaluation of a Mindful Movement (MM) program for mental health outcomes in an urban high school during the 2017–2018 school year. The MM program had been previously designed and implemented several years prior to this evaluation. Methods: Students were randomly assigned to participate in either the MM group or a health class (comparison group) at the start of the school year. The MM program ran for 5 days a week for 18 weeks as part of the high school curriculum. Quantitative measures were administered at the beginning of the program and at the end of the semester, and included measures of mood, self-esteem, mindfulness, perceived stress, and self-regulation. Results: At pretest, the MM group fared significantly worse than the health group in confusion, vigor, and emotional regulation, which were not detected at posttest. However, there were also no significant differences between groups from pretest to posttest, or significant improvement from pre- to posttest for the MM group. The qualitative results demonstrate that the students did make improvement in the targeted outcomes. Conclusion: The results of this study provide qualitative evidence that the program helped students in several areas of functioning. The quantitative results suggest that the skills and tools learned in the program may serve as protective measures against decline in functioning. The discrepancies between findings are discussed with implications for future research and program development. © Copyright 2021 Springer Publishing Company, LLC.