Cardiovascular Health, Lifestyle Intervention, Mental Health, Physical Performance
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this cluster randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effects of a smartphone-based Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) intervention on firefighters' mental and physical health in firefighters in Tainan, Taiwan. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the Traditional Chinese version of the HLS mobile App improve firefighters' mental and physical health compared to usual care? * Can the intervention effectively promote a healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases among firefighters? Researchers will compare firefighters receiving the smartphone-based HLS intervention to those receiving usual care to determine whether the intervention leads to improved health and fitness outcomes over 3 to 6 months. Participants will: * Use the Traditional Chinese version of the HLS mobile App, originally developed at Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, and adapted for firefighters in Taiwan. * Be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (HLS App) or the control group (usual care). * Undergo health and fitness assessments at baseline and at 3 to 6 months post-intervention. Anticipated outcomes are improvements in mental and physical health among firefighters receiving the intervention compared to the control group.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHealthy Lifestyle Application (Traditional Chinese Version)
A firefighter-oriented Healthy Lifestyle Application (Traditional Chinese Version)
Sponsors
National Cheng-Kung University Hospital
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Career firefighters who are older than or equal 20 years old
Exclusion criteria
* Career firefighters who are younger than 20 years old * Firefighters who are retired or are volunteer firefighters.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C-reactive protein(CRP) | 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | Biochemical parameters will be measured by the cobas b 101 blood testing system (F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland) with the participants fingertip blood after a 8-hour fasting. |
| Physical Performance | In the latter half of 2025 | The participants will provide their semi-annual evaluation reports, including performance metrics in standing long jump, overhead back toss, deadlift, cliffhanger pull-up, 6-meter out-and-back run, farmer's walk, and 1,500-meter run |
| Blood Pressure | 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The participants will maintain a quiet sitting posture for at least five minutes, and the measurement will be taken on a healthy arm without any prior surgery or disease. The blood pressure measuring device will be calibrated and will automatically take three measurements, with a one-minute interval between each. The average blood pressure value will be recorded. |
| Depressive Symptoms | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The participants will be asked to complete questionnaires measuring depressive symptoms, which includes the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Questions related to self-harm thoughts have been removed from these instruments to eliminate the need for further referrals. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms. |
| Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The participants will be asked to complete a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5) questionnaire which measures posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Questions related to self-harm thoughts have been removed from these instruments to eliminate the need for further referrals. Higher scores indicate greater depressive symptoms. |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The body mass index (BMI) will be calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters. The height will be self-reported before the intervention and measured to the nearest 0.1 cm while standing upright using a tape measure 3 to 6 months post-intervention, and the weight will be self-reported before the intervention, and measured to the nearest 0.1 kg with a weighing scale 3 to 6 months post-intervention. |
| Smoking Habit | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will ask if the participants had quit or stopped using tobacco in a questionnaire to verify their smoking habits. |
| Mediterranean Diet Pattern | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will utilize a Traditional Chinese version of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), consisting of 14 binary questions to determine adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern. |
| Overall Physical Activity Levels | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will assess overall physical activity levels over the past 6 months using a Chinese version of a validated physical activity rating (PA-R) questionnaire which our team translated. |
| Total weekly hours spent sitting | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will ask the participant with the question Indicate the total number of hours sitting per week |
| Average daily hours of sleep | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will ask the participant with the question Please indicate the total hours of actual sleep in a typical 24-hour period in week |
| Frequency of siestas per week | Before the intervention and 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | The investigators will ask the participant with the question How many times do you take a nap per week? |
| Glycated Hemoglobin | 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | Biochemical parameters will be measured by the cobas b 101 blood testing system (F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland) with the participants fingertip blood after a 8-hour fasting. |
| Lipid Profile | 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | Biochemical parameters will be measured by the cobas b 101 blood testing system (F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland) with the participants fingertip blood after a 8-hour fasting. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| NT-proBNP | 3 to 6 months after the intervention starts | Biochemical parameters will be measured by the Cobas h 232 blood testing system (F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland) with the fingertip blood of participants with hypertension. |
Countries
Taiwan
Contacts
Primary ContactHsiao-Jou Yu
Backup ContactChen-Yu Huang
Outcome results
None listed