Exploration of the Feasibility of a Mobile-based Combined Exercise Intervention Application(Rebone) for the Management of Menopausal Symptoms (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Medical, mental, and social challenges associated with menopause are significant in the field of women’s health. Exercise therapy can serve as an alternative treatment for alleviating menopausal symptoms, and it is crucial to engage in regular physical activity to experience its benefits. Mobile-based exercise applications can help establish exercise habits and provide guidance on workouts. Given that menopause is experienced by all women, mobile health (mHealth) services may have great social value. Furthermore, the various changes that begin after menopause increase the risk of chronic diseases. Thus, prevention and treatment can reduce the demand for medical care and lower overall medical costs. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to design and implement a mobile application (app), Rebone, specifically for menopausal women. It also sought to determine the initial feasibility of a combined exercise program, consisting of aerobic exercise and resistance exercise, provided by the app to alleviate menopausal symptoms. METHODS During April 2022, we collected data related to menopausal symptoms, quality of life, depression, insomnia, and stress from 33 individuals with similar characteristics (age, gender, height, weight). Subsequently, we compared the data collected before and after implementing an eight-week, mixed exercise program consisting of aerobic and resistance exercises, provided via a mobile app, conducted at least three times a week. RESULTS An independent sample t-test was performed after the normality test to compare the differences between the two groups pre- and post-program. After eight weeks, MRS (p = 0.002), MENQOL (p = 0.002), CES-D (p = 0.001), SRI (p = 0.027), and ISI (p = 0.000) all showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. In addition, the treatment group exercised more frequently and performed more appropriate workouts than the control group. CONCLUSIONS Statistically significant differences between the two groups were found for all collected data after the intervention. Furthermore, the frequency of exercise by group and qualitative feedback from participants indicate that mobile-based interventions for menopausal women are effective. CLINICALTRIAL This study was approved by the Basic Science Research Program through the ICONS (Institute of Convergence Science), Yonsei University Science and Technology, and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). It was also approved by Yonsei University’s Industry-Academic Cooperation Group's In-School Research Promotion Project (2022YSRESEARCH) and was funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2016R1D1A1B02015987). Lastly, this research was supported by a grant of the Information and Communications Promotion Fund through the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT), Republic of Korea.