Preliminary Effect of a Health Information Literacy Enhancement Program for Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome

The Preliminary Effect of a Health Information Literacy Enhancement Program for Community-dwelling Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome: A Feasibility Study Based on the Health Empowerment Theory

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effect of a health-information literacy promotion program for individuals with Metabolic Syndrome (including its subtypes) based on the Health Empowerment Theory. The study aims to answer the following questions:

Does the intervention improve health information literacy among study participants? Does the intervention lead to better health outcomes, including weight, waist circumference, BMI control, and metabolic health indicators (blood pressure, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and blood lipids)?

Participants will:

Undergo the intervention program for 6 weeks (face to face and online) and will be assessed regularly to monitor changes in their health information literacy and health outcomes.

1. Health information management ability education based on health empowerment theory: ① health information literacy intensive training; ② medication management skills training; ③ self-monitoring skills practice; ④ diet and exercise management knowledge education.
2. Health behaviour motivation management based on health empowerment theory: ① personalized goal setting: set learning goals with patients and clarify the weekly health information literacy improvement plan; ② peer support network construction: set up a discussion group to encourage patients to share their experiences in diet management and exercise practice, and enhance their knowledge of diet and exercise through group interaction; ③ Role model demonstration effect: patients with high health information literacy and remarkable self-management effects are set up as role models, and are invited to share their success stories.
3. Health management support system based on the theory of health empowerment: ① online dynamic supervision: weekly Q&A sessions through WeChat groups to address issues such as health information screening, medication use, and interpretation of monitoring data; ② collaborative family-community support: inviting family members to join the health management group to assist in dietary planning, supervise the implementation of exercise, and linking with the community health service centres to provide personalized guidance; ③ digital monitoring platforms Digital monitoring platform: Using the Concordia Medical Weight Loss applet and diet management WeChat group to push customised health advice; ④Continuous supply of resources: Regularly updating links to authoritative channels, such as the website of the State Drug Administration and the China Public Health Network, to ensure that patients have access to reliable health information.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years old
• Patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (meeting ≥3 criteria):
• Waist circumference ≥ 90 cm (men) / ≥ 85 cm (women)
• Fasting glucose ≥ 6.1 mmol/L or OGTT 2h-glucose ≥ 7.8 mmol/L and/or diabetes treatment
• Blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg and/or hypertension treatment
• Fasting triglycerides (TG) ≥ 1.70 mmol/L
• Fasting HDL-C < 1.04 mmol/L
• Individuals with ≥1 metabolic abnormality not meeting full metabolic syndrome criteria
• Cognitively aware with literacy skills and voluntary participation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe hepatic/renal dysfunction, cancer, or life-threatening diseases
• Mental disorders, visual/hearing impairments, or intellectual disabilities