General-health-promotion-approach to Promoting Healthier Lives

NCT06077565 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: GHPED
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 572
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aim To examine the effectiveness of a general-health-promotion-approach to help ED attendees change their health-risk behaviours and lead healthier lives. Hypotheses to be tested The investigators hypothesise that compared with those in the control group, the participants in the intervention group will experience significantly greater success in changing their health-risk behaviours and will have a better health-related quality of life at 6 months follow-up.

Conditions

Health-risk Behaviours; Non Communicable Diseases

Keywords

general-health-promotion; healthier lives; emergency department

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Abstinence from at least 1 health-risk behaviour at 6 months

  Abstinence from at least 1 health-risk behaviour between baseline and 6-month follow-up assessed by using a behavioural health-risk factor survey.

  6 months

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Abstinence from at least 1 health-risk behaviour at 12 month

  12 months

• improved health-related quality of life at 6 months

  6 months

• improved health-related quality of life at 12 months

  12 months

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

The participants will be given a Practical Resource Hub for Healthy Life leaflet containing information on various applications. 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. 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. For the first 6 months of the study period, the research assistant will deliver WhatsApp/WeChat messages about once per week. Follow-up assessment of behavioural changes at 3, 6, and 12 months

Other: foot-in-the-door technique and self-determination theory; Other: Follow-up booster intervention

Control group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The participants will 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 change their health-risk behaviours and/or adopt a healthy lifestyle practice. The participants will also receive follow-up for outcome assessments with the same schedule as those in the intervention group.

Other: Control group

Interventions

foot-in-the-door technique and self-determination theory OTHER

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. Each participant will then receive a brief (approximately 5 minutes), individual intervention with health advice about the selected health-related lifestyle practice. The whole intervention will last approximately 10 minutes, but slightly longer if necessary.

Intervention group

Follow-up booster intervention OTHER

For the first 6 months of the study period, the research assistant will deliver WhatsApp/WeChat messages about once per week. If a participant does not own a smartphone or is unable to receive WhatsApp/WeChat messages (uncommon in Hong Kong), the research assistant will make a telephone call, instead of sending a message, as a reminder for the participants to adhere to their desirable health-related lifestyle practice. Instant messaging via mobile applications has found to be effective in enhancing treatment compliance.

Intervention group

Control group OTHER

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 change their health-risk behaviours and/or adopt a healthy lifestyle practice.

Control group

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• (1) age 18 - 65 years old
• (2) triage as semi-urgent (level 4) or non-urgent (level 5) and will be discharged home after seeking medical attention
• (3) the presence of at least one health risk behaviour (tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity)
• (4) able to communicate in Chinese

You may not qualify if:

• (1) poor cognitive state or mental illness
• (2) diagnosed with NCDs and have regular follow-up in outpatient clinics
• (3) 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: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 5, 2023
• First Posted: October 11, 2023
• Study Start: January 5, 2024
• Primary Completion: May 31, 2025
• Study Completion: May 31, 2025
• Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

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)