Omaha System-Based Health Application on Improving Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors Regarding Infectious Disease Prevention in the Community

Developing an Omaha System-Based Health Application on Improving Knowledge, Attitude, and Behaviors Regarding Infectious Disease Prevention in the Community

Background: Infectious diseases remain significant public health concerns due to several factors such as climate and environmental changes and natural disasters. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) can be an appropriate way for fostering community participation, disseminating knowledge, and promoting behavior change toward infectious disease prevention. This study aims to describe a protocol for a pilot randomized controlled study to evaluate the impact of the Omaha System-Based mHealth app (BUHOS) on improving knowledge, attitude, and behaviors (KAB) regarding infectious disease prevention in an earthquake-affected region of Türkiye.

Methods: This study is a two-armed, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial design. A total of 112 eligible participants will be recruited from two separate container cities of an earthquake-affected region. These participants will be randomly allocated to either an intervention group or a control group. BUHOS will be designed based on the Omaha System, a widely recognized standardized taxonomy for the assessment, planning, and evaluation of healthcare services. BUHOS will be a two-week nursing intervention that includes monitoring KAB, employing Education, Guidance and Counseling (education videos), and Surveillance (reminder messages), and assessing the outcomes. Outcome variables will include the Problem Rating Scale for Outcomes, Community Communicable Diseases Knowledge Survey, Communicable Diseases Risk Awareness and Protection Scale and System Usability Scale. Outcome variables will be assessed on the 15th and 30th day after intervention.

Hypotheses:

H1: Among the Omaha System Problems, the Communicable/ Infectious Condition Problem Knowledge score will be higher on the 15th and 30th days compared to the control group.

H2: Infectious diseases risk awareness and prevention score will be higher on the 15th and 30th days compared to the control group.

H3: Communicable/ Infectious Condition Status Behaviour Parameter score will be higher on the 15th and 30th days compared to the control group H4: The knowledge and behaviour of the communicable/ infectious status and the awareness and prevention of the risk of infectious diseases of the experimental group will be higher than before the intervention on the 15th and 30th days.

Inclusion criteria:

• being aged between 18 and 64 years,
• living in two container cities,
• having a knowledge score of 'very low (1)' and 'low (2)' on the Omaha System Problem Rating Scale for Outcome for Communicable/ Infectious Problem Knowledge Parameter,
• being literate,
• owning a smartphone.

Exclusion criteria:

• having impaired vision or hearing,
• having a mental illness,
• not owning a smartphone,
• being pregnant or postpartum,
• being participants in another scientific study,
• refusing to participate.