| 1. |
- Ahtinen, Aino, et al.
(författare)
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Mobile mental wellness training for stress management : feasibility and design implications based on a one-month field study.
- 2013
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Ingår i: JMIR mHealth and uHealth. - Toronto : JMIR Publications. - 2291-5222. ; 1:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prevention and management of work-related stress and related mental problems is a great challenge. Mobile applications are a promising way to integrate prevention strategies into the everyday lives of citizens.OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study was to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of a mobile mental wellness training application among working-age individuals, and to derive preliminary design implications for mobile apps for stress management.METHODS: Oiva, a mobile app based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), was designed to support active learning of skills related to mental wellness through brief ACT-based exercises in the daily life. A one-month field study with 15 working-age participants was organized to study the usage, acceptance, and usefulness of Oiva. The usage of Oiva was studied based on the usage log files of the application. Changes in wellness were measured by three validated questionnaires on stress, satisfaction with life (SWLS), and psychological flexibility (AAQ-II) at the beginning and at end of the study and by user experience questionnaires after one week's and one month's use. In-depth user experience interviews were conducted after one month's use to study the acceptance and user experiences of Oiva.RESULTS: Oiva was used actively throughout the study. The average number of usage sessions was 16.8 (SD 2.4) and the total usage time per participant was 3 hours 12 minutes (SD 99 minutes). Significant pre-post improvements were obtained in stress ratings (mean 3.1 SD 0.2 vs mean 2.5 SD 0.1, P=.003) and satisfaction with life scores (mean 23.1 SD 1.3 vs mean 25.9 SD 0.8, P=.02), but not in psychological flexibility. Oiva was perceived easy to use, acceptable, and useful by the participants. A randomized controlled trial is ongoing to evaluate the effectiveness of Oiva on working-age individuals with stress problems.CONCLUSIONS: A feasibility study of Oiva mobile mental wellness training app showed good acceptability, usefulness, and engagement among the working-age participants, and provided increased understanding on the essential features of mobile apps for stress management. Five design implications were derived based on the qualitative findings: (1) provide exercises for everyday life, (2) find proper place and time for challenging content, (3) focus on self-improvement and learning instead of external rewards, (4) guide gently but do not restrict choice, and (5) provide an easy and flexible tool for self-reflection.
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| 2. |
- Ahtinen, Aino, et al.
(författare)
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Oiva – A mobile phone intervention for psychological flexibility and wellbeing
- 2012
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Ingår i: Designing for Wellness and Behavior Change workshop.
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- To provide a scalable solution to mental health problems caused by stress, we developed Oiva, a mobile phone intervention for improving mental and physical wellbeing. Oiva is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and its aim is to teach the users skills to increase their psychological flexibility. The application contains 45 text, audio, and video exercises. Two user studies demonstrated the usability and acceptability of the application and concept. The evaluations also revealed that the users expected guidance on the application for performing the intervention program. They also wanted to have possibilities to individualize the application by saving their own reflections about the exercises as notes. The preliminary evaluation results indicate that Oiva is a good starting point for the further design and research of mobile applications for reducing stress and improving wellness.
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| 3. |
- Jarvela-Reijonen, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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The Effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Intervention on Inflammation and Stress Biomarkers : a Randomized Controlled Trial
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1070-5503 .- 1532-7558. ; 27:5, s. 539-555
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Psychological processes can be manifested in physiological health. We investigated whether acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), targeted on psychological flexibility (PF), influences inflammation and stress biomarkers among working-age adults with psychological distress and overweight/obesity. Method Participants were randomized into three parallel groups: (1) ACT-based face-to-face (n = 65; six group sessions led by a psychologist), (2) ACT-based mobile (n = 73; one group session and mobile app), and (3) control (n = 66; only the measurements). Systemic inflammation and stress markers were analyzed at baseline, at 10 weeks after the baseline (post-intervention), and at 36 weeks after the baseline (follow-up). General PF and weight-related PF were measured with questionnaires (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for Weight-Related Difficulties). Results A group x time interaction (p = .012) was detected in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) level but not in other inflammation and stress biomarkers. hsCRP decreased significantly in the face-to-face group from week 0 to week 36, and at week 36, hsCRP was lower among the participants in the face-to-face group than in the mobile group (p = .035, post hoc test). Age and sex were stronger predictors of biomarker levels at follow-up than the post-intervention PF. Conclusion The results suggest that ACT delivered in group sessions may exert beneficial effects on low-grade systemic inflammation. More research is needed on how to best apply psychological interventions for the health of both mind and body among people with overweight/obesity and psychological distress.
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| 4. |
- Järvelä-Reijonen, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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High perceived stress is associated with unfavorable eating behavior in overweight and obese Finns of working age.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Appetite. - : Elsevier. - 0195-6663 .- 1095-8304. ; 103, s. 249-258
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Stress-related eating may be a potential factor in the obesity epidemic. Rather little is known about how stress associates with eating behavior and food intake in overweight individuals in a free-living situation. Thus, the present study aims to investigate this question in psychologically distressed overweight and obese working-aged Finns. The study is a cross-sectional baseline analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Of the 339 study participants, those with all the needed data available (n = 297, 84% females) were included. The mean age was 48.9 y (SD = 7.6) and mean body mass index 31.3 kg/m(2) (SD = 3.0). Perceived stress and eating behavior were assessed by self-reported questionnaires Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Intuitive Eating Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Health and Taste Attitude Scales and ecSatter Inventory. Diet and alcohol consumption were assessed by 48-h dietary recall, Index of Diet Quality, and AUDIT-C. Individuals reporting most perceived stress (i.e. in the highest PSS tertile) had less intuitive eating, more uncontrolled eating, and more emotional eating compared to those reporting less perceived stress (p < 0.05). Moreover, individuals in the highest PSS tertile reported less cognitive restraint and less eating competence than those in the lowest tertile (p < 0.05). Intake of whole grain products was the lowest among those in the highest PSS tertile (p < 0.05). Otherwise the quality of diet and alcohol consumption did not differ among the PSS tertiles. In conclusion, high perceived stress was associated with the features of eating behavior that could in turn contribute to difficulties in weight management. Stress-related way of eating could thus form a potential risk factor for obesity. More research is needed to develop efficient methods for clinicians to assist in handling stress-related eating in the treatment of obese people.
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| 5. |
- Järvelä-Reijonen, Elina, et al.
(författare)
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Sleep-time physiological recovery is associated with eating habits in distressed working-age Finns with overweight : Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1745-6673. ; 16:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Association of physiological recovery with nutrition has scarcely been studied. We investigated whether physiological recovery during sleep relates to eating habits, i.e., eating behaviour and diet quality. Methods: Cross-sectional baseline analysis of psychologically distressed adults with overweight (N = 252) participating in a lifestyle intervention study in three Finnish cities. Recovery measures were based on sleep-time heart rate variability (HRV) measured for 3 consecutive nights. Measures derived from HRV were 1) RMSSD (Root Mean Square of the Successive Differences) indicating the parasympathetic activation of the autonomic nervous system and 2) Stress Balance (SB) indicating the temporal ratio of recovery to stress. Eating behaviour was measured with questionnaires (Intuitive Eating Scale, Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, Health and Taste Attitude Scales, ecSatter Inventory (TM)). Diet quality was quantified using questionnaires (Index of Diet Quality, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test Consumption) and 48-h dietary recall. Results: Participants with best RMSSD reported less intuitive eating (p = 0.019) and less eating for physical rather than emotional reasons (p = 0.010) compared to those with poorest RMSSD; participants with good SB reported less unconditional permission to eat (p = 0.008), higher fibre intake (p = 0.028), higher diet quality (p = 0.001), and lower alcohol consumption (p < 0.001) compared to those with poor SB, although effect sizes were small. In subgroup analyses among participants who reported working regular daytime hours (n = 216), only the associations of SB with diet quality and alcohol consumption remained significant. Conclusions: Better nocturnal recovery showed associations with better diet quality, lower alcohol consumption and possibly lower intuitive eating. In future lifestyle interventions and clinical practice, it is important to acknowledge sleep-time recovery as one possible factor linked with eating habits.
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| 6. |
- Lappalainen, Raimo, et al.
(författare)
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The effectiveness and applicability of different lifestyle interventions for enhancing wellbeing : the study design for a randomized controlled trial for persons with metabolic syndrome risk factors and psychological distress.
- 2014
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Ingår i: BMC Public Health. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2458. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Obesity and stress are among the most common lifestyle-related health problems. Most of the current disease prevention and management models are not satisfactorily cost-effective and hardly reach those who need them the most. Therefore, novel evidence-based controlled interventions are necessary to evaluate models for prevention and treatment based on self-management. This randomized controlled trial examines the effectiveness, applicability, and acceptability of different lifestyle interventions with individuals having symptoms of metabolic syndrome and psychological distress. The offered interventions are based on cognitive behavioral approaches, and are designed for enhancing general well-being and supporting personalized lifestyle changes.METHODS/DESIGN: 339 obese individuals reporting stress symptoms were recruited and randomized to either (1) a minimal contact web-guided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based (CBT) intervention including an approach of health assessment and coaching methods, (2) a mobile-guided intervention comprising of mindfulness, acceptance and value-based exercises, (3) a face-to-face group intervention using mindfulness, acceptance and value-based approach, or (4) a control group. The participants were measured three times during the study (pre = week 0, post = week 10, and follow-up = week 36). Psychological well-being, lifestyles and habits, eating behaviors, and user experiences were measured using online surveys. Laboratory measurements for physical well-being and general health were performed including e.g. liver function, thyroid glands, kidney function, blood lipids and glucose levels and body composition analysis. In addition, a 3-day ambulatory heart rate and 7-day movement data were collected for analyzing stress, recovery, physical activity, and sleep patterns. Food intake data were collected with a 48 -hour diet recall interview via telephone. Differences in the effects of the interventions would be examined using multiple-group modeling techniques, and effect-size calculations.DISCUSSION: This study will provide additional knowledge about the effects of three low intensity interventions for improving general well-being among individuals with obesity and stress symptoms. The study will show effects of two technology guided self-help interventions as well as effect of an acceptance and value-based brief group intervention. Those who might benefit from the aforesaid interventions will increase knowledge base to better understand what mechanisms facilitate effects of the interventions.TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Clinical Trials NCT01738256, Registered 17 August, 2012.
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| 7. |
- Marabita, Francesco, et al.
(författare)
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Multiomics and digital monitoring during lifestyle changes reveal independent dimensions of human biology and health
- 2022
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Ingår i: Cell Systems. - : Cell Press. - 2405-4712 .- 2405-4720. ; 13:3, s. 241-255.e7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We explored opportunities for personalized and predictive health care by collecting serial clinical measurements, health surveys, genomics, proteomics, autoantibodies, metabolomics, and gut microbiome data from 96 individuals who participated in a data-driven health coaching program over a 16-month period with continuous digital monitoring of activity and sleep. We generated a resource of >20,000 biological samples from this study and a compendium of >53 million primary data points for 558,032 distinct features. Multiomics factor analysis revealed distinct and independent molecular factors linked to obesity, diabetes, liver function, cardiovascular disease, inflammation, immunity, exercise, diet, and hormonal effects. For example, ethinyl estradiol, a common oral contraceptive, produced characteristic molecular and physiological effects, including increased levels of inflammation and impact on thyroid, cortisol levels, and pulse, that were distinct from other sources of variability observed in our study. In total, this work illustrates the value of combining deep molecular and digital monitoring of human health. A record of this paper's transparent peer review process is included in the supplemental information.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Sairanen, Essi, et al.
(författare)
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Psychological flexibility mediates change in intuitive eating regulation in acceptance and commitment therapy interventions
- 2017
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Ingår i: Public Health Nutrition. - : Cambridge University Press. - 1368-9800 .- 1475-2727. ; 20:9, s. 1681-1691
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Despite the promising results related to intuitive eating, few studies have attempted to explain the processes encouraging this adaptive eating behaviour. The focus of the present study was on exploring mechanisms of change in intuitive eating and weight in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) interventions. Mediation provides important information regarding the treatment processes and theoretical models related to specific treatment approaches. The study investigates whether psychological flexibility, mindfulness skills and sense of coherence mediated the interventions' effect on intuitive eating and weight.DESIGN: Secondary analysis of a randomized control trial. Mediation analysis compared two ACT interventions - face-to-face (in a group) and mobile (individually) - with a control group using a latent difference score model. Settings Data were collected in three Finnish towns.SUBJECTS: The participants were overweight or obese (n 219), reporting symptoms of perceived stress.RESULTS: The effect of the interventions on participants' (i) BMI, (ii) intuitive eating and its subscales, (iii) eating for physical rather than emotional reasons and (iv) reliance on internal hunger and satiety cues was mediated by changes in weight-related psychological flexibility in both ACT groups.CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that ACT interventions aiming for lifestyle changes mediate the intervention effects through the enhanced ability to continue with valued activities even when confronted with negative emotions and thoughts related to weight.
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