Little research has examined exercise-based interventions meant to alleviate depressive symptoms among Korean-Chinese migrant women workers living in Korea. Thus, this study evaluated the effectiveness of a 24-week walking program on reducing depressive symptoms and acculturative stress levels in this population. This quasi-experimental sequential walking program was conducted with 132 Korean-Chinese women over a period of 24 weeks. Participants were divided into either a standard treatment group (n = 69) or enhanced treatment group (n = 63). All participants were instructed to walk using a pedometer. The enhanced treatment group also received mobile text messages designed to encourage walking adherence and improve acculturation. Participants were asked to complete two structured questionnaires, the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Acculturative Stress Scale, to evaluate the intervention programs. At the end of the program, both groups exhibited decreased depression scores, but the decrease in the enhanced treatment group was more significant both at weeks 12 and 24. Acculturative stress was also found to have decreased at weeks 12 and 24. Our findings show the walking program reduced the depressive symptoms and acculturative stress levels among the Korean-Chinese women in this study. Further studies will be needed to analyze the relationship between walking step count and mental health considering exercise intensity. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. T.

Health behavior Health promotion Physical intervention Cognitive-behavioral therapy physical activity

stress assessment physical activity South Korea depression quasi experimental study Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale kinesiotherapy acculturative stress Acculturative Stress Scale Korean Chinese exercise intensity step count mental health human controlled study East Asian Aged female worker migrant worker treatment duration womens employment Acculturation cognition female stress cultural factor Article walking patient compliance major clinical study adult text messaging therapy effect public health Korea