Smartphone-delivered multicomponent lifestyle medicine intervention for improving mental health in a nonclinical population : a randomized controlled trial.

V. W.-H. Wong, J. T.-Y. Tong, N.-K. Shi, C. H. Ng, Jerome Sarris, F. Y.-Y. Ho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Objective: To prevent the exacerbation of mental health burdens, a growing body of research has recommended a balanced approach that emphasizes both the delivery of mental health treatments to individuals with common mental disorders (CMDs) and the strengthening of protective factors for CMDs among nonclinical populations. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the efficacy of a smartphone-delivered multicomponent lifestyle medicine (LM) intervention, Lifestyle Hub, for improving mental health among a nonclinical population of Chinese adults. Methods: A total of 106 participants with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 total score < 10 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale <8 were randomly assigned to either the Lifestyle Hub intervention group (LH, n = 53) or the waitlist control group (WL, n = 53). Lifestyle Hub is an 8-week smartphone-delivered multicomponent LM intervention developed based on the transtheoretical model. The intervention components included lifestyle psychoeducation, physical activity, diet and nutrition, stress management, sleep management, and motivation and goal-setting techniques. Assessments were conducted at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up (LH only). Results: The linear mixed effect model based on the intention-to-treat principle indicated that Lifestyle Hub significantly improved overall mental health, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, stress, insomnia severity, overall health-promoting behaviors, dietary quality, and stress management compared to the WL group at immediate post-intervention (d = 0.13–0.56). No significant between-group differences were observed in terms of functional impairment, health-related quality of life, health responsibility, physical activity level, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations. The intervention gains in the LH group were maintained at 1-month follow-up. The LH participants indicated that Lifestyle Hub was an acceptable intervention for improving mental health, although a significantly higher level of study attrition was observed in the LH group (20.8%) relative to the WL group (5.7%). Conclusion: Lifestyle Hub may serve as an efficacious and acceptable intervention for improving mental health in nonclinical adult populations. To extend the benefits of LM interventions at the population level, future studies are warranted to examine a stepped-care approach to delivering LM interventions. Trial registration: This randomized controlled trial was pre-registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04295369).  A corrigendum to the original article is a available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1389847

Original languageEnglish
Article number1231981
Number of pages12
JournalFrontiers in Public Health
Volume11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2024 Wong, Tong, Shi, Ng, Sarris and Ho.

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2024 Wong, Tong, Shi, Ng, Sarris and Ho. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Keywords

  • mood
  • smartphone-based intervention
  • mental health
  • self-help
  • lifestyle
  • randomized controlled trial

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