Screening and Educating Emergency Department Attendees on Health-risk Behaviours

NCT05680519 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 2022.565
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 150
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aim: To determine the feasibility and potential efficacy of a proactive approach using a brief self-determination theory-based intervention to help people attending the ED modify their health-risk behaviours and lead healthier lives. Objectives

1. 1.To assess the recruitment, participation and retention rates of targeted participants in an emergency department
2. 2.To ascertain the feasibility of screening, recruiting and educating people to change health-risk behaviours in the emergency department

Conditions

Health-risk Behaviours; Non Communicable Diseases

Keywords

Health-risk Behaviours; Non Communicable Diseases; Emergency Department

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Feasibility of the study

  Assess the feasibility of the study through the recruitment/participation rate

  at baseline

• Feasibility of the study

  Assess the feasibility of the study through the participation/retention rate

  3 months

• Feasibility of the study

  Assess the feasibility of the study through the participation/retention rate

  6 months

• Feasibility of the study

  Assess the feasibility of the study through the participation/retention rate

  12 months

Secondary Outcomes (12)

• Change of smoking consumption

  3 months

• Change of smoking consumption

  6 months

• Change of smoking consumption

  12 months

• Change of alcohol consumption

  3 months

• Change of alcohol consumption

  6 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants will also be given a Practical Resource Hub for Healthy Life leaflet containing information on various applications. The participants will receive a brief telephone intervention using the Ask, Warn, Advise, Refer and Do-it-again (AWARD) model. For the advice step, the research assistant will ask about the priority the participants place on engagement in desirable health-related lifestyle practices identified in the completed behavioural risk factor survey. The participants will also be asked to choose the goal that they consider easiest to achieve, such as quitting or reducing smoking, consuming more vegetables or less fatty foods or sugary drinks, performing more exercise or reducing alcohol consumption. The participants will be encouraged to quit health-risk behaviours (or adopt a healthy lifestyle) sequentially, but they will also be able to choose to quit them simultaneously if they are confident in doing so.

Other: theory of planned behaviour, foot-in-the-door technique, and self-determination theory intervention

Control group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The participants will also be given a Practical Resource Hub for Healthy Life leaflet containing information on various applications. The control group participants will receive a brief telephone intervention based on the AWARD model and delivered by the trained research assistant, similar to that delivered to the intervention group. However, the research assistant will simply advise the participants to modify their health-risk behaviours and/or adopt a healthy lifestyle practice. In addition, the research assistant will send regular SMS messages to the participants at a similar frequency to the intervention group, but these messages will contain only general health advice. The participants will also receive follow-up for outcome assessments with the same schedule as those in the intervention group.

Other: Control group

Interventions

Control group OTHER

The participants will be simply advised to modify their health-risk behaviours and/or adopt a healthy lifestyle practice. In addition, the research assistant will send regular SMS messages to the participants at a similar frequency to the intervention group, but these messages will contain only general health advice.

Control group

theory of planned behaviour, foot-in-the-door technique, and self-determination theory intervention OTHER

The participants will also be asked to choose the goal that they consider easiest to achieve and encouraged to quit health-risk behaviours. The research assistant will assist in achieving the participant's health-related goals by sending WhatsApp/WeChat messages or via telephone calls once per week for the first 6 months.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• (1) age ≥18 years,
• (2) triage as semi-urgent (level 4) or non-urgent (level 5), and
• (3) the presence of at least one health risk behaviour (tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity)

You may not qualify if:

• (1) poor cognitive state or mental illness and
• (2) participation in another related study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chinese University of Hong Kong: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Noncommunicable Diseases; Emergencies

Interventions

Control Groups

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Investigative Techniques; Research Design; Methods

Study Officials

• Ho Cheung William Li, PhD

  Chinese University of Hong Kong

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: December 2, 2022
• First Posted: January 11, 2023
• Study Start: February 20, 2023
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2024
• Study Completion: August 31, 2024
• Last Updated: March 19, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Time Frame: After the project has been completed and the results of the project has been published
• Access Criteria: Request could be sent to Principal Investigator (williamli@cuhk.edu.hk)

Locations

HK (1)