12-week app-based intervention reduced depressive symptoms, burnout, and absenteeism<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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THURSDAY, Aug. 10, 2023 (HealthDay News) — An exercise intervention using apps is associated with improvement in depressive symptoms and burnout among health care workers (HCWs), according to a study published online Aug. 9 in JAMA Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/p>\n Vincent Gosselin Boucher, Ph.D., from the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues examined the extent to which a 12-week app-based exercise intervention can reduce depressive symptoms, burnout, and absenteeism in HCWs in a two-group randomized clinical trial. A total of 288 participants were randomly assigned to exercise (142 participants) and asked to complete four 20-minute sessions per week using various apps or to wait-list control (146 participants).<\/p>\n The researchers found that by the end of the trial (week 12), effect sizes for depressive symptoms were in the small to medium range (\u00e2\u0088\u00920.41). For two facets of burnout — cynicism and emotional exhaustion — effect sizes were significant and consistent (week 12, \u00e2\u0088\u00920.33 and \u00e2\u0088\u00920.39, respectively); the same was seen for absenteeism (r<\/em> = 0.15). Between weeks 2 and 12, adherence to the 80 minutes\/week of exercise decreased from 54.9 to 23.2 percent.<\/p>\n “Our results suggest that at-home exercise can have meaningful effects on HCWs’ well-being and absenteeism when they are given free access to mobile-based exercise apps, provided they continue using these apps,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n