Recruitment and study procedure
anxiety, depressive symptoms
Participants were recruited via the university mass mailing system, social networking websites (i.e., Facebook and Instagram), and print media. Prospective participants were required to complete a set of online questionnaires for screening purposes, which included (1) the PHQ-9 measuring depressive symptoms and current suicidality; (2) the GAD-7 measuring anxiety symptoms, (3) a self-report checklist on eligibility criteria, and (4) a demographics questionnaire. Eligible participants were invited to participate in this study via text messaging or telephone calls by a research assistant. Besides, they were instructed to download an in-house smartphone application (Given the nature of the study design, blinding of participants and research personnel was not possible. However, the data analyst was blinded to the group assignment. The research assistant instructed the participants in the LH group to download Lifestyle Hub, and each LH participant was provided with a unique account via text messages. The LH participants were informed that Lifestyle Hub is a self-help intervention such that no therapeutic support would be provided throughout the trial period. However, they could contact the research assistant for technical assistance (e.g., log-in problems). Participants assigned to the WL group were informed that they would be given access to Lifestyle Hub upon the completion of the immediate post-intervention assessment at Week 9. A research compensation of HK$100 (approximately USD12.8) was offered to the participants in both groups after they completed all the required assessments.