Health-seeking behaviour and its associated factors amongst Metabolic Syndrome patients in Shenzhen

Abstract

Background: To assess the effects of a motivational interviewing (MI)-based patient empowerment program (PEP) on type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patient self-management compared to traditional diabetes health education. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-five patients, recruited from community health centers (CHCs) and the family medicine clinic in the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen, were randomly assigned to the intervention or control groups. Patients in the intervention group (n=117) received a four-session PEP in small groups over one month by trained nurses and doctors. The control group (n=108) received the traditional lecture-style health education on DM. All the patients were followed up for three months. Outcomes included problem areas in diabetes (PAID) that measures diabetes-related emotional distress, patient enablement index (PEI), mental health, patient satisfaction respectively as well as lifestyle behaviors were assessed at baseline, post-activity and three months. Results: At post-intervention and the 3-month follow-up, the PAID score improved significantly in the intervention group (12.7±13.6, 5.8±7.6) compared to the control group (22.7±22.8, 11.7±14.6). No difference was found between groups for changes to exercise, diet, and medication adherence. The PEI score improved significantly at the 3-month follow-up in the MI group (7.27±2.45 vs 5.81±2.97). Conclusion: The PEP has a significant effect on improving diabetes-related distress, but MI is comparable to compared to traditional health education programs when it comes to a patient’s willingness to change.