Exploring karaoke as a potential stress reduction strategy in a maintenance intervention of a diabetes prevention program (DPP) for Chinese immigrants

Background: Karaoke is a form of interactive entertainment in which people sing along with recorded music using a microphone with a TV. Karaoke has been very popular with Asian communities for decades. Our focus group findings and some anecdotal stories suggest that Chinese immigrants are very receptive to karaoke as a method for relaxation and/or stress reduction. Objective/Purpose: As part of a NIH R34 study, we conducted a brief survey to provide preliminary findings exploring the use of karaoke in perceived relaxation and stress reduction among Chinese immigrants. Methods: Thirty Chinese immigrants who completed an active 6-month DPP program were invited to participate in one karaoke session as part of their follow-up maintenance intervention. Due to scheduling issues, three separate sessions were offered at a local karaoke venue that lasted approximately 1.5 hours each. Participants would sing along with the songs of their choice. Light refreshments, but no alcoholic drinks, were offered. Each participant filled out a one-page survey at the end of the session. Data were entered into an excel sheet and were tallied to provide descriptive findings. Results: Twenty-three participants (9 men and 14 women) attended the karaoke. Of those attended, 70% had participated in a karaoke before. Four questions regarding perceptions of feeling more relaxed, less stressed, less anxious, and developing a stronger bond with team members after the karaoke were assessed using a 5-point liket scale, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Overwhelming majority (>90%) responded either strongly agree or agree with the four questions. Additionally, stress reduction (87%), hanging out with family/friends (70%), and singing (39%) were the top 3 reasons why they think people go to a karaoke. Discussion/Conclusions: Our findings suggest that karaoke could be a promising strategy for stress reduction among Chinese immigrants. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed.