Field Test of an m-Health Worksite Health Promotion Program to Increase Physical Activity in Taiwanese Employees: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Occupational health nurses in workplaces aim to offer evidence-based interventions to increase physical activity among employees to promote health. Mobile health (m-health) interventions have demonstrated effectiveness in increasing physical activity, and the application of m-health solutions in workplaces warrants investigation. We examined the effectiveness of a cell phone/smart device and web-based (m-health) intervention in motivating the employees at financial enterprise firms to increase physical activity.

Web-based intervention to promote physical activity in Taiwanese children.

Purpose: This study investigated the effectiveness of a theory-based, technology-integrated website in promoting the physical activity of schoolchildren.

Design And Methods: A website designed using a self-management strategy and supplemented with a geographical information system (GIS) mapping function was used to increase children's physical activity levels. A total of 524 students from six elementary schools in Taipei City completed surveys at three times during 2010 and were assigned to one of three groups: (1) a self-management group, using a website employing a goal-setting strategy and a storytelling schema based on a classical Chinese novel; (2) a knowledge-only group that was given only access to the website; or (3) a control group that was only given lectures and not allowed to access the website.

Policy, environment, and worksite fitness program participation among financial enterprise employees in Taiwan.

Background/objective: This study explored the intertwined effects between the policies and regulations of the companies and personal background on participation in the physical fitness programs and leisure-time activities in financial enterprises.

Methods: A total of 823 employees were selected as the sample with the multilevel stratification random-sampling technique. The response rate was 52.

Effects of an anti-smoking program to prevent lung cancer among urban aboriginals in Taiwan.

Background And Purpose: Indigenous people who leave their hometowns and move to the city to earn a living became urban aboriginals. During the process of adapting to urban living situations, they may use various coping strategies such as smoking to overcome their stress. Therefore, it is crucial to provide health education including smoking prevention, increasing knowledge regarding of tobacco hazard, self-efficacy of anti-smoking, and adjusting smoking behavior so as to empower their anti-smoking motivation to prevent lung cancer.

Neighborhood environment and physical activity among urban and rural schoolchildren in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of perceived neighborhood environment on physical activity among schoolchildren in urban and rural areas in Taiwan. Five hundred and twenty three children of grades five and six selected from ten primary schools in urban and rural areas participated in the study. A modified International Physical Activity questionnaire short form was used to estimate the children's physical activity level.

The effect of an internet-based, stage-matched message intervention on young Taiwanese women's physical activity.

A web-based, stage-matched message intervention was designed in order to see the effect on the physical activity of young Taiwanese women with regard to several variables. The intervention was guided by the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and was evaluated using a pre-post-test control group design. One hundred thirty female freshmen, enrolled in a nursing class in a university in Taipei, completed the survey at three different points in time.

Controlling cigarette smoking in the workplace in Taiwan: opportunities and challenges.

Cigarette smoking is one of the most serious health problems in Taiwan. Although the Taiwanese government passed a Tobacco Hazard Control Act in 1997, it is not fully applicable to the workplace. The purpose of the study was to review workplace smoking prevalence and policies, and to discuss the opportunities and challenges of implementing workplace smoking policies in Taiwan.