Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Mar 8, 2023
Open Peer Review Period: Feb 27, 2023 - Apr 24, 2023
Date Accepted: Jun 21, 2023
(closed for review but you can still tweet)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Role of a WeChat-Based Health Education Intervention Program in Improving Infectious-Disease-Specific Health Literacy Among Residents in Zhejiang, China
ABSTRACT
Background:
Infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL) has become an important determinant of infectious disease incidence. However, there is currently no concrete health education invention program to improve IDSHL using a WeChat public account.
Objective:
The aims of this study were as follows: 1) To determine the IDSHL of the population in Zhejiang, China; (2) To develop a health education program for the improvement of IDSHL using a WeChat public account; (3) To evaluate the effectiveness of the health education program that was implemented in the prevention of infectious disease outbreaks.
Methods:
A multiple-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select study participants, who were further divided randomly into two groups: the intervention and control groups. From July 2014 to January 2015, a WeChat-based health education intervention program was carried out on the intervention group. Standardized questionnaires were used to measure the level and score of IDSHL before and after intervention.
Results:
A total 3,001 residents participated in the baseline survey of our study. At baseline, participant IDSHL rates were 73.29% and 72.12% for the intervention and control group, respectively. After 7 months of intervention, 90% of participants (n=2704) returned to complete the second survey. After intervention, there were significant improvements in the IDSHL of participants in both the intervention and control groups (2=135.89, P<.001 vs 2=9.083, P=.003), and there was a greater change in IDSHL among the intervention group participants compared to the control group participants (90.51% vs 77.17%).
Conclusions:
he health education intervention program using a WeChat public account proved to be effective, feasible, and well-accepted as a means to improve the IDSHL of the general population. In the future, this health education intervention program can be used as a reference for prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
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