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The Effectiveness of Improving Infectious Disease-Specific Health Literacy Among Residents: WeChat-Based Health
Yusui Zhao1, Shuiyang Xu1, Xuehai Zhang1
1Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health Education, Hanghzhou, China.
JMIR Formative Research
|August 9, 2023
Summary
A WeChat-based health education program significantly improved infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL) in China. This intervention offers a feasible and effective strategy for public health, enhancing disease prevention and management.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Communication
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Infectious disease-specific health literacy (IDSHL) is crucial for controlling infectious disease incidence, including emerging threats like COVID-19.
- Social media platforms like WeChat can mitigate person-to-person transmission of infectious diseases, particularly respiratory infections.
- A gap exists in structured health education programs utilizing WeChat to enhance IDSHL.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the IDSHL levels in Zhejiang, China.
- To develop a WeChat-based health education program to improve IDSHL.
- To evaluate the program's effectiveness in preventing infectious disease outbreaks.
Main Methods:
- A standardized 28-item questionnaire measured IDSHL pre- and post-intervention.
- Participants in Zhejiang province were selected via multi-stage stratified random sampling and divided into intervention and control groups.
- A WeChat health education program was implemented for the intervention group from July 2014 to January 2015; data analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-tests.
Main Results:
- Baseline IDSHL rates were similar between groups (73.29% intervention vs. 72.12% control).
- After intervention, the intervention group showed significantly higher scores across all IDSHL domains compared to the control group.
- The intervention group demonstrated a greater improvement in IDSHL (90.51%) compared to the control group (77.17%).
Conclusions:
- A WeChat public account-based health education program is an effective, feasible, and well-accepted method for improving population IDSHL.
- This intervention serves as a valuable reference for future infectious disease prevention and treatment strategies.
- Leveraging social media platforms can enhance public health literacy and preparedness.
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