Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Dec 15, 2024
Date Accepted: Jan 22, 2026
Date Submitted to PubMed: Feb 1, 2026
Short-Term Effects of a Mobile Health Intervention on Healthy Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health in Sedentary Employees: A Quasi-Experimental Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Sedentary employees face increased chronic health risks due to physical inactivity, immobile, and unhealthy eating behavior. Although mobile health (mHealth) interventions show the potential to enhance physical activity and dietary habits, their impact in occupational settings is underexplored.
Objective:
This study evaluated the short-term effects of an mHealth program on physical activity, sitting time, dietary behavior, and cardiometabolic health indicators among sedentary employees in Taiwan.
Methods:
Using a two-arm parallel quasi-experimental design in two workplaces, 101 sedentary employees were enrolled. The intervention group (n=50) participated in a 12-week mHealth program featuring SIMPLE HEALTH, a web application consisting of activity tracking, goal setting, behavior logging, reminders, personalized advice, educational and motivational booklets, and challenges. The control group (n=51) received print educational booklets. Data on cardiometabolic biomarkers, physical activity, and dietary behaviors were collected at baseline and 12 weeks. Generalized estimating equations analyzed changes between groups.
Results:
The intervention group showed significant improvements in steps (B 1227.13, 95% CI 2.90 to 2451.36), moderate physical activity (B 0.17, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.33), and dietary behaviors, including intake of calories (B -144.59, 95% CI -276.57 to -12.60), carbohydrates (B -19.88, 95% CI -37.99 to -1.78), fats (B -6.99, 95% CI -13.69 to -0.29), grains (B -1.46, 95% CI -2.43 to -0.50), and vegetables (B 0.47, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.88), compared to the control group (all P<.05). Positive trends were observed for diastolic blood pressure (B -2.38, 95% CI -4.99 to 0.22, P=.073) and soft lean mass (B 0.34, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.75, P<.097). Both groups showed significant improvements in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and occupational sitting and walking (all P<.05), but no significant between-group differences were observed for these outcomes.
Conclusions:
The mHealth intervention effectively improved employees’ diet, physical activity, occupational sitting, and cardiometabolic health 12 weeks after the intervention. These findings support integrating mHealth interventions into employee wellness programs to promote health, mitigate health-related productivity losses, and reduce the societal burden of chronic diseases. Further research is needed to explore long-term impacts and scalability in diverse occupational settings. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04347096; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04347096
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