JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mental health challenges, such as stress and depression, are prevalent among employees. Mobile health platforms that deliver exercise or yoga interventions offer a promising approach for improving mental health outcomes in this population.

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of 12-session adaptive moderate-intensity exercise and yoga programs delivered via a motion-detecting digital platform in reducing stress and depressive symptoms among employees.

Methods:

A total of 75 full-time employees were randomized into three groups: an exercise group (n = 21), a yoga group (n = 24), and a control group (n = 26), which received mobile exercise training, mobile yoga training, and self-learning materials on stress management, respectively. The primary outcomes were perceived stress and depressive symptoms, while the secondary outcomes included posttraumatic stress, insomnia severity, cognitive stress response, occupational stress, and burnout. Physiological outcomes were assessed using heart rate variability and electroencephalography (EEG). These measurements were collected at three time points: baseline, immediately after training, and at 4-week follow-up. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations to evaluate the main effects of time, group, and time-by-group interactions.

Results:

Of the 75 participants, 71 completed the study. Both the yoga and control groups showed significant reductions in depressive symptoms (P < .0001), whereas the exercise group showed a non-significant trend toward reduction relative to the control group. The yoga group experienced the greatest improvement in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the yoga group showed a significant linear decrease in hyperarousal symptoms (P = .013), whereas the reduction in the exercise group was not statistically significant. Cognitive stress responses, particularly extreme-negative, hostile-aggressive, and self-depreciative thoughts, significantly decreased in the yoga and exercise groups, with the yoga group showing the greatest reduction (P < .01). A significant time effect (P < .0001) was observed for right and left EEG theta power, indicating a general reduction across all groups over time. However, no significant group effect or group-by-time interaction was observed.

Conclusions:

Yoga and adaptive moderate-intensity exercise delivered via a mobile platform significantly reduced depressive symptoms, hypervigilance, and cognitive distortions among employees. The digital delivery model is highly effective in promoting adherence and engagement, making it a viable option for mental health interventions in busy working populations. Further research with a larger sample size and long-term follow-up is required. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.govNCT06620783;https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT06620783