ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2019
Characteristics and Usage Patterns Among 12,151 Paid Subscribers of the Calm Meditation App: Cross-Sectional Survey.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 36 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of a Mobile Meditation App on Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic in Outpatient Obstetrics and Gynecology Patients; a Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of a Mobile App on Health and Well-being During COVID-19 Pandemic in House Staff at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix
Who cites it
36 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Non-Pharmacological Sleep Interventions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Factors Influencing Adherence to mHealth Apps for Prevention or Management of Noncommunicable Diseases: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Just-in-Time Adaptive Mechanisms of Popular Mobile Apps for Individuals With Depression: Systematic App Search and Literature Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Barriers to and Facilitators of User Engagement With Digital Mental Health Interventions: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Using Personalized Anchors to Establish Routine Meditation Practice With a Mobile App: Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Real-World Meditation App Engagement: Longitudinal Study of the Medito Meditation App.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Article
- Older Adults' Motivators and Barriers to Using Mindfulness Apps for Stress Management in Brain Health Interventions: Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Sleep in the age of technology: the use of sleep apps and perceived impact on sleep and sleep habits.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Bedtime App-Guided Mindfulness Meditation in Patients With Insomnia: Mixed Methods Feasibility and Acceptability Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- User Character Strengths and Engagement Prediction on a Digital Mental Health Platform for Young People: Longitudinal Observational Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Observational
- Characteristics Associated With the Use of the Mindfulness Meditation App Headspace in a Large Public Health Deployment: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- Evaluating Theory-Driven Messaging to Overcome the Barriers to Meditation: Large-Scale Digital Field Experiment.JMIR mental health · 2025Article
- Identifying Common Patterns in the Time of Day of Mindfulness Meditation Associated with Long-Term Maintenance.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A shot in the dark: the impact of online visibility on the search for an effective sleep app.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2024Review
- The Effects of Dose, Practice Habits, and Objects of Focus on Digital Meditation Effectiveness and Adherence: Longitudinal Study of 280,000 Digital Meditation Sessions Across 103 Countries.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Combining Behavioral Economics-Based Incentives With the Anchoring Strategy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Situating Meditation Apps Within the Ecosystem of Meditation Practice: Population-Based Survey Study.JMIR mental health · 2023Article
- Characterization of Self-reported Improvements in Knowledge and Health Among Users of Flo Period Tracking App: Cross-sectional Survey.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Article
- Feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability of a mobile mindfulness meditation intervention to improve sleep quality among a racially/ethnically diverse population.Sleep health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMeditation has become increasingly popular due to its health benefits; however, barriers to delivering meditation programs in traditional group-based formats limit the accessibility of these benefits. Smartphone-based meditation may increase the availability of these programs to larger, more diverse audiences; however, research on subscriber characteristics and usage patterns in meditation mobile apps is lacking.
objectiveThis study aimed to describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and usage patterns of a convenience sample of Calm subscribers and explore the relationship between self-reported app usage and changes in health, stress, and sleep.
methodsParticipants were 12,151 paying Calm subscribers (response rate=12.08%, 12,151/100,594) who completed an anonymous Web-based survey with 11 quantitative questions related to user engagement, reasons for starting Calm, and changes after using the app. Demographic characteristics, chronic health diagnoses, and sleep difficulties were also assessed. Chi-square tests were used to examine differences in app usage. Logistic regression models were used to examine demographic and health characteristics that may predict changes in health, stress, and sleep.
resultsRespondents were 18-96 years old (mean 48.57 [SD 13.79]), primarily female (79.94%, 8778/10,981), white (81.41%, 8959/11,005), and most reported a chronic health diagnosis (56.86%, 6289/11,061). Mental health diagnoses (41.13%, 4549/11,061) were more common than physical health diagnoses (32.19%, 3560/11,061). Most respondents (76.31%, 8684/11,360) reported difficulties falling or staying asleep. On average, respondents had been using Calm for 11.49 months (SD 10.49), and 60.03% (7281/12,129) used it 5 or more times per week. Meditations (used by 80.02%, 9497/11,841) and Sleep Stories (55.66%, 6591/11,841) were the most popular components. The frequency of using Calm was associated with incremental increases in the likelihood of noticing changes in mental health (χ
conclusionsResults highlight important demographic characteristics and usage patterns among a self-selected sample of Calm subscribers. Mental health concerns and sleep appear to be top reasons for downloading Calm. Sleep Stories and meditations are the most popular app components. The frequency of using Calm was associated with incremental changes in outcomes. Findings support future randomized controlled trials testing the efficacy of Calm for health, stress, and sleep. Studies should also explore strategies to attract a more diverse sample of subscribers.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.