Adherence of female health care workers to the use a web-based tool for improving and modifying lifestyle : a prospective target group pilot study

Jukić, Tomislav (author), Ihan, Alojz (author), Petek Šter, Marija (author), Strojnik, Vojko (author), Štubljar, David (author), Starc, Andrej (author)

Background: Health care professionals are exposed to the psychological and physiological effects of stress, which is a well-known risk factor for various mental and physical health problems. Objective: The aims of this study were to assess the adherence of female health care workers to use a web-based tool for improving and modifying lifestyle and to identify the potential factors influencing their adherence. Methods: A prospective, observational study was performed. A total of 80 female health care workers (physicians and gradated nurses) from 2 university medical centers and female members of a family medicine society participated. Participants completed a questionnaire that inquired about their basic demographic data and physical fitness. Physical fitness was assessed by the Rockport Fitness Walking Test. Adherence to a web-based application (24@life) was followed for 3 months and the number of log-ins into the application was counted. Results: The study was conducted from March to October 2019. Significantly high workload has been detected in all groups (P690 nmol/L); activated cellular immune system with elevated concentrations of lymphocytes (reference 1.1-2.5 × 109 cells/L), CD3 cells (reference 0.7-1.9 × 109 cells/L), CD8 cells (reference 0.2-0.7 × 109 cells/L), and HLA-DR/CD3 cells (reference 0.04-0.2 × 109 cells/L); and the worst quality of sleep (mean 2.8 [SD 1.2]). Only 32 of 80 participants (40%) were adherent to the web-based application. Participants most frequently viewed web pages on areas of physical activity (497 times) and nutrition (332 times). No factors or participant’s characteristics such as weight (odds ratio [OR] 1.026, 95% CI 0.977-1.078), BMI (OR 0.993, 95% CI 0.834-1.184), age (OR 0.970, 95% CI 0.910-1.034), or stress level (OR 0.997, 95% CI 0.995-1.000) were identified to affect the adherence rates. Conclusions: Female health care workers exposed to high workload did not find the web-based application useful for improving and modifying their lifestyle. Therefore, other strategies that might help health care workers facing stress and improve their lifestyle should be identified.

• Language: English
• Keywords: mHealth, eHealth, health care workers, occupational stress, burnout, adherence, web-based tool
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: Str. 1-10
• Numbering: Vol. 22, no. 8
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-118053
• UDC: 614.253.5:004.738.5
• ISSN on article: 1438-8871
• DOI: 10.2196/19500
• COBISS.SI-ID: 19671299
• Publication date in RUL: 18.08.2020

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Journal of medical internet research
• Shortened title: JMIR, J. med. internet res.
• Publisher: JMIR Publications
• ISSN: 1438-8871
• COBISS.SI-ID: 2406629

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 18.08.2020