4.2. Measurement
depression, bodily pain, anxiety, pain
BLIND
The formula of Schoenfeld [The participants were randomly assigned to one of the two groups to maintain the internal validity of the randomized trial. All the participants were asked to sign an informed consent form. The participants were invited to complete the questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study.The primary outcome variables of our research were mental and physical health. The participants’ mental and physical health were measured using the SF-36 scale. This scale contains various dimensions of quality of life. The following describes the number of items for each dimension and an example item. The dimensions are: physical functioning (10 items, e.g., “Does your health hinder you from doing effortful daily activities, e.g., running? (from “not at all” to “very much”)”); role-physical (role limitation due to physical problems) (four items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, have your health caused a problem in doing your work? (“no” or “yes”)”); bodily pain (two items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, how severe your bodily pain is? (from “not at all” to “very severe”)”); general health (five items, e.g., “Generally, how do you think your health is? (from “not good” to “perfect”)”); vitality (four items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, how often do you feel energetic? (from “never” to “always”)”); social functioning (two items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, how much does your health hinder your activities with family, friends, neighbors, and clubs? (from “not at all” to “extremely”)”); role-emotional (role limitation due to emotional problems) (three items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, have your emotional problems (e.g., anxiety or depression) reduced your work time? (“no” or “yes”)”); and mental health (six items, e.g., “During the past four weeks, how often are you a nervous person? (from “never” to “always”)”). The items measuring each dimension contain varied response options. Please consult SF-36 instrument owners to check how to calculate the scores in each of the dimensions.Each of the participants was asked two questions: “whether or not you are an enthusiastic exerciser”. If the answer was “yes”, we coded this response as “1”. If the answer was “no”, we coded this response as “0”, and “whether or not you are controlling your weight”. If the answer as “yes”, we coded this response as “1”. If the answer was “no”, we coded this response as “0”. The research assistants distributed and collected the questionnaires. Moreover, this research was designed to ensure that all research assistants were blind to the participant assignments. The exceptions were the data managers who did not directly contact the participants and did not operate the experiment.