Effects of culturally adaptive walking intervention on cardiovascular disease risks for middle-aged Korean-Chinese female migrant workers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a standard treatment (ST) walking program compared to an ST walking program enhanced (enhanced treatment, ET) on cardiovascular health outcomes among Korean-Chinese female migrant workers in Korea. A quasi-experimental sequential design was used. A total of 132 Korean-Chinese women without contraindications to physical activity participated in the study. Both ST and ET groups had monthly goal settings; the ET group received text messages to encourage walking adherence and acculturation. A significant decrease was found in 10-year risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), blood pressure, fasting glucose, body mass index, and waist-hip ratio at weeks 12 and 24 in both groups, but there were no significant group differences. This indicates that culturally adaptive walking intervention is a promising way to reduce CVD risk factors for underserved Korean-Chinese migrant women.