Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of the present study was to assess possible effects on mental and physical well-being and stress-related biological markers of a web-based health promotion tool.MethodsA randomized, prospectively controlled study was conducted with before and after measurements, involving 303 employees (187 men and 116 women, age 23–64) from four information technology and two media companies. Half of the participants were offered web-based health promotion and stress management training (intervention) lasting for six months. All other participants constituted the reference group. Different biological markers were measured to detect possible physiological changes.ResultsAfter six months the intervention group had improved statistically significantly compared to the reference group on ratings of ability to manage stress, sleep quality, mental energy, concentration ability and social support. The anabolic hormone dehydroepiandosterone sulphate (DHEA-S) decreased significantly in the reference group as compared to unchanged levels in the intervention group. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the reference group. Chromogranin A (CgA) decreased significantly in the intervention group as compared to the reference group. Tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) decreased significantly in the reference group compared to the intervention group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that group (intervention vs. reference) remained a significant factor in five out of nine predictive models.ConclusionThe results indicate that an automatic web-based system might have short-term beneficial physiological and psychological effects and thus might be an opportunity in counteracting some clinically relevant and common stress and health issues of today.
Highlights
The aim of the present study was to assess possible effects on mental and physical well-being and stress-related biological markers of a web-based health promotion tool
I.e. number of logins to the website, revealed that the intervention group used the website statistically significantly more compared to the reference group (Figure 2; ttest p < .001, 2-tailed; Mann-Whitney U test p < .0001)
The levels of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) increased significantly in the intervention group compared to the reference group
Summary
The aim of the present study was to assess possible effects on mental and physical well-being and stress-related biological markers of a web-based health promotion tool. Stress-related disorders are major public health issues in many industrialized countries and are expected to become increasingly common in the coming decades [1,2]. Such disorders have a negative economic impact, disrupt work and home life and might even increase suicide risk [3]. Prospectively controlled studies without physiological evaluation have indicated beneficial effects from computer- or web-based tools on, for example, headache [9], distress related to tinnitus [10], depression and anxiety [11,12,13], stress management [14], physical activity [15] and insomnia [16]
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