Scientific and methodological foundations of the use of fitness technologies to correct the psycho-emotional state and increase stress tolerance of the adult working population

Abstract

The study is aimed at developing and experimentally validating the scientific and methodological foundations for the use of personalized fitness technologies to correct psycho-emotional states and enhance stress resilience in the adult working population under conditions of high cognitive-emotional load, a lack of systemic non-pharmacological approaches, and a need for objective criteria of effectiveness. A prospective randomized controlled trial was conducted with n=134 employees of IT and consulting companies aged 28-49, divided into experimental and control groups. The 6-month intervention included three 60-minute sessions per week, distributed as follows: moderate-intensity cardio 40%, strength training 30%, and mind-body practices 30%, with individualized load based on heart rate and the Borg scale, and adherence monitoring via a mobile application. The assessment included validated questionnaires (STAI, BDI, PSS-10) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, as well as objective stress markers: heart rate variability LF/HF ratio and salivary cortisol level (ELISA), with statistical processing in IBM SPSS and a significance criterion of p 0.05. At baseline, the groups were comparable across all measures, confirming the validity of randomization and sample homogeneity. At the end of the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated statistically significant reductions in state anxiety by 31,25%, trait anxiety by 21,75%, depressive symptoms by 55,6%, and perceived stress by 41,11%, with no significant changes in the control group (p 0.001). Physiological markers improved consistently: cortisol decreased by 35,0%, and LF/HF index by 40,1%, reflecting normalization of the HPA axis and autonomic balance toward parasympathetic activity (p 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that session regularity was most strongly associated with a reduction in state anxiety (r=0.643, p 0.01), while the proportion of mind-body practices correlated with cortisol decrease (r=0.672, p 0.01); mean intensity showed limited significance. A technological model consisting of three components is proposed: comprehensive baseline diagnostics, a personalization algorithm with mandatory regularity of at least three sessions per week and approximately 30% mind-body component, and digital monitoring with feedback for adaptive correction. This ensures reproducibility and scalability in corporate wellness programs.