A Web-App Based Lifestyle Physical Activity Promotion Program to Improve Depressive Symptom Experience: Midlife Korean American Women

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

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Abstract

With the growing population of aging women in the United States, depressive symptoms during midlife—particularly throughout the menopausal transition— have become a significant public health concern. This life stage involves a complex interplay of hormonal, psychological, and social changes that heighten the risk of depression. Hormonal fluctuations during menopause are closely linked to mood disturbances, while midlife stressors such as caregiving, career shifts, and evolving family roles can further exacerbate emotional distress. Physical activity is widely recommended for reducing depressive symptoms, offering benefits such as stress relief, mood enhancement, and social support. A technology-based intervention—delivered via a web app without face-to-face interaction—offers an innovative and accessible approach to promoting physical activity in a way that aligns with midlife women’s preferences. Based on Preliminary Studies, the research team developed and pilot-tested a web app based physical activity promotion program in improving depressive symptom experience of midlife women during their menopausal transition. As the initial group to approach, midlife Korean American women were selected as the target population due to their comparatively higher prevalence rate of depression relative to other groups. The program incorporates several unique features, including both surface- and deep-level tailoring and integrated social media functions. The purpose of this randomized intervention study is to determine the efficacy of the program in improving depressive symptom experience of midlife women, with Korean American women selected as the initial target population. The specific aims are to: (a) determine whether the intervention group will show significantly greater improvements than the control group in self-reported depressive symptom experience from a pre-test (T0) to post 6-months (T1) and post 12-months (T2); (b) determine whether the intervention group will show significantly greater improvements than the control group in self-reported lifestyle physical activity experience from T0 to T1 and T2; (c) identify whether physical activity experience mediates the intervention effects of the WPAPP-K on depressive symptom experience from T0 to T2; and (d) determine whether the effects of WPAPP-K on depressive symptom experience are moderated by selected factors. The study is theoretically guided by the Bandura’s Theory of Behavioral Change and the Stress and Coping framework by Lazarus and Folkman. The study adopts a randomized repeated measures pretest/posttest control group design among 300 midlife Korean American women who are nationally recruited. Long-term goals are to scale the program across various settings and among the general population in the U.S., while advancing innovative methodologies and frameworks for highly tailored, technology-based interventions designed for the U.S. population.