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Yen HY, Huang HY. Actual and Virtual Parks Benefit Quality of Life and Physical Activity: A Cluster Trial. J Urban Health 2024; 101:782-791. [PMID: 38630245 PMCID: PMC11329433 DOI: 10.1007/s11524-024-00863-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Urban parks provide connectedness to nature as a health resilience environment for promoting health. Virtual reality can provide opportunities for urban citizens to be exposed to natural elements with health benefits. The purpose was to explore the effects of actual and virtual parks on the quality of life and physical activity of urban residents. The study design was a cluster trial. Participants were healthy adults aged 20-50 years, recruited from three college campuses, and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (n = 30, 32) and one control group (n = 30). The intervention with virtual or actual parks was conducted for 30 min a session once a week for 12 weeks. Outcomes were measured using self-reported questionnaires, including the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale-BREF and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form. In total, 84 participants completed the interventions and post-intervention measures. Results showed that participants who experienced actual parks had significant increases in the social quality of life and light-intensity physical activity and had decreased body weight. Participants who experienced the virtual parks experienced a significant increase in their mental quality of life. Participants in the experimental groups of both kinds of parks had significant improvements in their self-rated health, physical and environmental quality of life, and sedentary time after the intervention. Urban parks are an important natural resource for citizens' health and physical activity promotion. Virtual parks can simulate actual parks and have similar health benefits and are thus are recommended for citizens who lack opportunities and motivation to go to actual parks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsin-Yen Yen
- School of Gerontology and Long-Term Care, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wuxing St., Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
- International Ph.D. Program in Gerontology and Long-Term Care, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Mair JL, Castro O, Salamanca-Sanabria A, Frese BF, von Wangenheim F, Tai ES, Kowatsch T, Müller-Riemenschneider F. Exploring the potential of mobile health interventions to address behavioural risk factors for the prevention of non-communicable diseases in Asian populations: a qualitative study. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:753. [PMID: 37095486 PMCID: PMC10123969 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15598-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changing lifestyle patterns over the last decades have seen growing numbers of people in Asia affected by non-communicable diseases and common mental health disorders, including diabetes, cancer, and/or depression. Interventions targeting healthy lifestyle behaviours through mobile technologies, including new approaches such as chatbots, may be an effective, low-cost approach to prevent these conditions. To ensure uptake and engagement with mobile health interventions, however, it is essential to understand the end-users' perspectives on using such interventions. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions, barriers, and facilitators to the use of mobile health interventions for lifestyle behaviour change in Singapore. METHODS Six virtual focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 34 participants (mean ± SD; aged 45 ± 3.6 years; 64.7% females). Focus group recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach, followed by deductive mapping according to perceptions, barriers, facilitators, mixed factors, or strategies. RESULTS Five themes were identified: (i) holistic wellbeing is central to healthy living (i.e., the importance of both physical and mental health); (ii) encouraging uptake of a mobile health intervention is influenced by factors such as incentives and government backing; (iii) trying out a mobile health intervention is one thing, sticking to it long term is another and there are key factors, such as personalisation and ease of use that influence sustained engagement with mobile health interventions; (iv) perceptions of chatbots as a tool to support healthy lifestyle behaviour are influenced by previous negative experiences with chatbots, which might hamper uptake; and (v) sharing health-related data is OK, but with conditions such as clarity on who will have access to the data, how it will be stored, and for what purpose it will be used. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight several factors that are relevant for the development and implementation of mobile health interventions in Singapore and other Asian countries. Recommendations include: (i) targeting holistic wellbeing, (ii) tailoring content to address environment-specific barriers, (iii) partnering with government and/or local (non-profit) institutions in the development and/or promotion of mobile health interventions, (iv) managing expectations regarding the use of incentives, and (iv) identifying potential alternatives or complementary approaches to the use of chatbots, particularly for mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Louise Mair
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Oscar Castro
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bea Franziska Frese
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Florian von Wangenheim
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Centre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - E Shyong Tai
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tobias Kowatsch
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Centre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Medicine, University of St.Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Falk Müller-Riemenschneider
- Future Health Technologies, Singapore-ETH Centre, Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Digital Health Center, Berlin Institute of Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Schultz CL, Bocarro JN, Hipp JA, Bennett GJ, Floyd MF. Prescribing Time in Nature for Human Health and Well-Being: Study Protocol for Tailored Park Prescriptions. Front Digit Health 2022; 4:932533. [PMID: 35928047 PMCID: PMC9343582 DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2022.932533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background eHealth technologies offer an efficient method to integrate park prescriptions into clinical practice by primary health care (PHC) providers to help patients improve their health via tailored, nature-based health behavior interventions. This paper describes the protocol of the GoalRx Prescription Intervention (GPI) which was designed to leverage community resources to provide tailored park prescriptions for PHC patients. Methods The GPI study was designed as a 3-arm, multi-site observational study. We enrolled low-income, rural adults either at-risk of or living with hypertension or diabetes (n = 75) from Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in two counties in North Carolina, USA into the 3-month intervention. Eligible participants self-selected to receive (1) a tailored park prescription intervention; (2) a tailored home/indoor PA prescription intervention; or (3) a healthy eating prescription (with no PA prescription beyond standard PA counseling advice that is already routinely provided in PHC) as the comparison group. The GPI app paired patient health data from the electronic health record with stated patient preferences and triggered app-integrated SMS motivation and compliance messaging directly to the patient. Patients were assessed at baseline and at a 3-month follow-up upon the completion of the intervention. The primary outcome (mean difference in weekly physical activity from baseline (T0) to post-intervention (T1) as measured by the Fitbit Flex 2) was assessed at 3 months. Secondary outcomes included assessment of the relationship between the intervention and biological markers of health, including body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HbA1c or available glucose test (if applicable), and a depression screen score using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9. Secondary outcomes also included the total number of SMS messages sent, number of SMS messages responded to, number of SMS messages ignored, and opt-out rate. Discussion The goal was to create a protocol utilizing eHealth technologies that addressed the specific needs of rural low-income communities and fit into the natural rhythms and processes of the selected FQHC clinics in North Carolina. This protocol offered a higher standard of health care by connecting patients to their PHC teams and increasing patient motivation to make longer-lasting health behavior changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney L. Schultz
- Health & Technology Partners, Milwaukee, WI, United States
- *Correspondence: Courtney L. Schultz
| | - Jason N. Bocarro
- Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, College of Natural Resources, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - J. Aaron Hipp
- Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, College of Natural Resources, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Gary J. Bennett
- Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Myron F. Floyd
- Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management, College of Natural Resources, NC State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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Koh YS, Asharani PV, Devi F, Roystonn K, Wang P, Vaingankar JA, Abdin E, Sum CF, Lee ES, Müller-Riemenschneider F, Chong SA, Subramaniam M. A cross-sectional study on the perceived barriers to physical activity and their associations with domain-specific physical activity and sedentary behaviour. BMC Public Health 2022; 22:1051. [PMID: 35614402 PMCID: PMC9132675 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-022-13431-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour have detrimental consequences to the individual and the economy. Our study examined the prevalence of perceived barriers to physical activity in Singapore’s adult population and their associations with physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Methods This cross-sectional analysis utilised data from a nationwide survey in Singapore. Participants (n = 2867) were recruited from February 2019 to March 2020. The independent variables were internal (e.g. fatigue, age) and external (e.g. weather, cost) perceived barriers to physical activity. The outcomes were domain-specific physical activity (work, transport and leisure) and sedentary behaviour, all of which were assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. The associations were examined using zero-inflated negative binomial regressions for physical activity and linear regression for sedentary behaviour. Results The median (Interquartile range) for work-related, transport-related and leisure-related physical activity were 0 (0 – 1440), 600 (160 – 1120) and 360 (0 – 1080) MET (metabolic equivalent)-minutes per week. The median sedentary behaviour (IQR) was 360 (240 – 540) minutes per day. The top three barriers were lack of time (65.3%), fatigue (64.7%) and pollution (56.1%). After adjustment, the level of transport-related physical activity was lower for respondents who cited lacking pavement or parks as a barrier, but higher for those who indicated cost and safety concerns. Respondents who reported pollution as a barrier were more likely to engage in transport-related physical activity. The level of leisure-related physical activity was lower for respondents indicating weather, lack of time and age as barriers, but higher for those reporting safety concerns. The odds of engaging in leisure-related physical activity was lower for those citing age, cost and fatigue as barriers, but higher for those indicating the weather. Sedentary behaviour was positively associated with work and limited accessibility to exercise facilities, but negatively with safety concerns. Conclusion Individuals can be motivated to overcome internal barriers (fatigue, lack of time, cost and age) through social support and emphasis on exercise benefits. External barriers (weather and lack of pavements or parks) can be reduced by raising awareness of existing infrastructure. Sedentary behaviour can be improved by implementing workplace measures, such as reducing the time spent sitting. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13431-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen Sin Koh
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - P V Asharani
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fiona Devi
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Peizhi Wang
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Edimansyah Abdin
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chee Fang Sum
- Admiralty Medical Centre, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eng Sing Lee
- Clinical Research Unit, National Healthcare Group Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Falk Müller-Riemenschneider
- Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Siow Ann Chong
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mythily Subramaniam
- Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore, Singapore.,Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Lee YS, Chia M, Komar J. A Systematic Review of Physical Activity Intervention Programs in ASEAN Countries: Efficacy and Future Directions. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095357. [PMID: 35564751 PMCID: PMC9103551 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
A systematic review was conducted on the efficacy of interventions to improve physical activity. PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science were scanned for eligible studies published from 1978 to August 2021, resulting in a total of 52 relevant studies for review. The Downs and Black checklist was used as a quality assessment ool for a risk of bias assessment. The 52 studies were then broadly categorised into three major approach types: informational, behavioural and/or social, as well as direct. Within each major approach, studies were further sub-categorised into more specific intervention types before being assessed for their efficacy and applicability. Overall, the intervention types that seemed to be the most efficacious in increasing physical activity levels were those that involved home-based information provision, community-wide campaigns, incentivised change, individually adapted health behaviour programs, family-based social support interventions and the provision of self-monitoring tools. However, the results must be interpreted holistically, as many of the successful interventions included more than one approach type and success is likely contingent on effectively addressing several concurrent facets. The systematic review is registered on PROSPERO. Registration number: 282752.
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The Effects of Park Based Interventions on Health: The Italian Project "Moving Parks". INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19042130. [PMID: 35206319 PMCID: PMC8872154 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Obesity and physical inactivity are global health problems responsible for the risk increment of noncommunicable diseases. To overcome these problems, interventions aimed at increasing physical activity (PA) are necessary. Green space can have a positive influence on promoting PA, so, the aim of the present study was to assess the effectiveness of the project “The moving parks project”, which provides for the administration of PA to citizens within Bologna’s parks (Italy). An ad hoc questionnaire was administered before and after three months of outdoor PA. A total of 329 adult subjects participated in the survey. At follow-up, all psychosocial parameters showed an improvement, with a reduction in the state of tension, sadness and fatigue, and an improvement in the state of energy, serenity, and vitality. The impact of the interventions carried out in the “Moving Parks project” was positive and appears to be a good strategy for improving health outcomes.
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