Mindfulness Vs Health Education For Workplace Burnout Among Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) In Kolar: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

This is a cluster randomized controlled trial being conducted among Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in Kolar district, Karnataka, to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention versus structured health education in reducing workplace burnout.

ASHAs, the backbone of India’s community health delivery system, often experience high levels of occupational stress due to workload, lack of support, and emotional labor. Chronic exposure to such stress can lead to psychological burnout, affecting both their well-being and the quality of services they provide.

The study will include 320 ASHA workers selected from six taluks in Kolar district. Taluks will serve as clusters, and will be randomized into two groups:

• Intervention Group: Receives weekly 20-minute mindfulness sessions for 8 weeks.
• Control Group: Receives weekly 20–30 minute structured health education sessions for 8 weeks.

The primary outcome will be the reduction in burnout levels, assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) before and after the intervention. Data analysis will follow an intention-to-treat approach, with Difference-in-Difference analysis used to evaluate effectiveness.

The findings will help determine whether mindfulness is more effective than health education in improving the psychological well-being of ASHA workers, with implications for future mental health support policies for frontline health workers in India.