Table 4. Exemplar quotes and connected themes.

Themes	Exemplar quotes
Theme I: stress was pervasive
Type of stress: on being overworked/too many responsibilities	“I am a single man, four boys, so I work two jobs, I go to school full time, that is just stressful by itself trying to make time for work, make time for school, make time for my kids, they all play sports.”
Type of stress: on financial issues/unsafe living environment	“I live some place that I really can’t afford but, I don’t want to move anywhere else because I have boys, and places that I can afford has high crime activity, so, everything is stressful to me.”
Type of stress: on overworked/ caretaking	“I am a mother of two, and my husband is disabled, and has been out of work due to his medical issues, and I’m trying to juggle three jobs.”
Type of stress: on job stresses/living environment	“I have to look for a new job. Probably next year early, so that’s stressful, but it’s manageable. I’m doing some renovations in my home, and it’s turned upside down, and that stresses me out a whole lot.”
Health effects of stress: on taking BP medication	“I was prescribed, but I refused to take it, (laughs), it runs in my family, and I don’t want to …, everybody who gets on it doesn’t get off… and I didn’t want that, so, I just didn’t take it, and, I just start pray a little hard, and it’s been okay, lately.”
Health effects of stress: on rapid heart rate	“I have my moments when it’s really, really high (referring to heart rate), and I’ll just take a break, lay down, you know, calm down, and it’s, it’s okay, usually, but it was, it was during a time when I was really stressed.”
Health effects of stress: on overeating/weight gain	“I am stressed, okay, so I am eating a little bit more, I’m gaining more weight, my blood pressure is higher, you know.”
Health effects of stress: on high blood sugar	“Doctor told me that I was showing early signs of diabetes, so you got to get a hold on this, but now I am stressed, eating, doing other things that were leading to it.”
Health effects of stress: on BP and becoming flush	“I’m not sure of the correlation but I know when I get very stressful I feel flushed, assuming that my blood pressures go up, my face starts getting warm.”
Theme II: coping strategies: both positive and negative
On using prayer to cope	“It could be at work, in the bathroom stall where it’s quiet. Especially at home, in my bedroom at night, sometimes I wake up at three in the morning and I’ll say a prayer.”
On using exercise/music	“Exercise, listening to music; Jazz or something like that.”
On using exercise	“Walking. A walk is very good for when you are stressful. It gives you a chance to clear your mind.”
On negative coping by isolating one’s self	“I think that for me, I withdraw. Yeah, I definitely isolate myself because I don’t want to be a problem to anybody else. And I’m always like, let me figure this out.”
Theme III: BAM training was easy to incorporate (and noted recommendations)
Referring to quick start instructions to add video instructions	“As easily accessible as possible. On one of the front pages: (it should read) ‘Click here to watch instructional video. That is where the YouTube comes in, something you can go on-line to hear further instructions.”
Referring accessing music/sounds into session	“One thing I’ve liked about those types of tapes or CD’s that I’ve listened to in the past; some of them actually have some kind of nature sound in the background, like waves.”
Referring to options using guided sessions	“I think the key is it needs to help you meditate, I mean put my ear buds in and I start the process, and I need to be able to close my eyes and it give me audible responses; what she was saying. If it’s just meditate, I don’t need a quick start any more, I can meditate.” (describing the desire for additional content to guide meditation)
On customization and personalization of app	“Well another thing is that I would like to use my own pictures as my background. So you can have an option where you can go to your own photos. And like pick a picture of a sunset you took. Or like, your dog.” (noting customization needs)
Theme IV: tracking stress responses with a metric was useful
Relating usefulness of prior health apps tracking metrics	“Yeah and I had that move app (describing another smartphone app) that did the same things, it’s like, how many steps did I make? And I would look back, two days or three days; I made like 5000 steps.”
On feedback of the HR chart after demo session	“The graph, it’s useful but it could be defined a bit more, ‘cause it was like “you had a forty drop. (40 beats per min HR drop) We don’t see it. If you could put a red mark, this was your highest this was the drop that we were talking about.”
On sharing app data with physicians	“If your doctors have access to your information there will be a way that we can say, Dr. such and such is going on this program if you want to see you can go to such and such app will he be able if I give him authorization.”

BP, blood pressure; BAM, breathing awareness meditation.