JMIR Formative Research最新文献

Background: Informational support has been demonstrated to enhance patients' treatment adherence. However, which specific mode of informational support is more effective for patients with hypertension remains undetermined.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to conduct a feasibility exploration of personalized informational support in patients with hypertension using a single-arm pretest-posttest design.

Methods: A prospective, single-center, pretest-posttest study was used to investigate the feasibility of providing an informational support intervention to patients with hypertension attending a community health facility in Chengdu, China. The intervention combined in-person follow-ups and telephone counseling. Adherence and clinical outcomes (blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure, and laboratory tests) were measured at baseline and the postintervention time point. Patients' health behaviors were assessed at baseline and the postintervention time point using validated structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and effect sizes were calculated to determine clinically important changes relative to baseline.

Results: Significant improvements were observed: medication adherence scores increased by 0.65 points (95% CI 0.38-0.91; P<.001). Nutrition scores increased by 1.31 points (95% CI 0.53-2.09; P<.001), interpersonal relationship scores increased by 1.17 points (95% CI 1.03-2.02; P=.007), health responsibility scores increased by 2.42 points (95% CI 0.33-3.80; P=.001), and the total Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II-Revised score significantly increased by 6.81 points (95% CI 3.01-10.61; P=.001). Nighttime systolic blood pressure decreased significantly by 5.07 mm Hg (95% CI -8.12 to -2.01; P=.001), and nighttime diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly by 3.39 mm Hg (95% CI -5.12 to -1.67; P<.001).

Conclusions: This feasibility study found that a structured informational support intervention was well accepted (93/100, 93% retention) and was associated with preliminary improvements in medication adherence and nocturnal blood pressure. These findings suggest potential benefits and support the need for a definitive randomized controlled trial to establish efficacy.

Background: The World Health Organization reported that noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) contribute to around 74% of deaths worldwide. A similar phenomenon can also be observed in Brunei Darussalam. One of the most cost-effective approaches to control the growing burden of NCDs is to reduce related modifiable risk factors.

Objective: This study aims to propose a composite health score called Health Index, inspired by the 6 pillars of lifestyle medicine, which acts as a measure of health and can show how health changes over time at an individual and national level.

Methods: Health Index is a series of questionnaires that captures users' health status on several domains of health and, upon completion, the users are categorized as either healthy, at risk, or in poor health. Users will also be able to view health advice based on their answers to the questionnaires.

Results: The field testing results show Health Index as a promising population health management tool. 13.8% (166/1200) of the targeted users completed Health Index within 1 month, with 85% (1019/1200) of them in the "At Risk" category. We also identified diet as the most prominent health issue.

Conclusions: In conclusion, the Health Index potentially enables early detection and management of NCD risk factors to mitigate the high cost of advanced disease and complications. In the future, we aim to retrospectively and prospectively validate the Health Index through several statistical analyses.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain, particularly in patients with obesity, poses significant challenges due to increased pain sensitivity, reduced mobility, and systemic inflammation. Obesity aggravates mechanical constraints on the joints and increases systemic inflammation, exacerbating certain medical conditions and making conventional therapeutic approaches less likely to succeed. Conventional therapies often show limited efficacy, necessitating innovative approaches.

Objective: This pilot study evaluated the short-term effectiveness of a mindfulness and motor imagery-based intervention delivered via an app (SAS YUZIT), on the pain, functionality, and quality of life of patients with obesity and chronic knee pain.

Methods: A prospective, single-center study was conducted over 1 month by including 30 patients (BMI >30 kg/m2) experiencing chronic knee pain (≥3 months) who did not need surgery. Patients underwent two video-guided motor imagery sessions, focusing on neuromuscular reactivation. Functional scores, including the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) score, were assessed before and after intervention. Paired t tests were used to analyze score improvements, with P<.05 deemed significant.

Results: Significant improvements were observed across all parameters. The mean overall SANE score improved by 51% (P<.001). The minimal clinically important difference was therefore approximately 6.7 points. The observed mean improvement (25 points) exceeded this threshold by more than threefold, indicating a clinically meaningful improvement in functional status. The mean (SD) KOOS score increased by 56% (P<.001) from 40.89 (16.7) to 63.79 (14.6). The mean (SD) SF-36 scores showed substantial enhancements in both physical (from 39.7 [20.8] to 65.9 [18.8]; +66%; P<.001) and mental components (from 47.2 [23.1] to 64 [21]; +36%; P<.001). Patient satisfaction with this method was rated 4.5/5, and no adverse effects were reported.

Conclusions: Video-guided motor imagery demonstrated significant efficacy in reducing pain and improving the functionality and quality of life of patients with obesity and chronic knee pain. By targeting central neuromuscular circuits through guided visualization exercises, this non-invasive intervention addresses central activation dysfunction, a proposed novel concept in neuromuscular disorders that originates from hypotheses derived from clinical observations. This interesting concept requires further exploration to ensure its neurophysiological validation through future studies with larger sample sizes, control groups, and long-term follow-ups, all of which could explore CAD as a therapeutic target.

Background: Home-based respiratory pathogen testing services (HRPTS), an emerging internet-based health care model, enable rapid pathogen identification within hours through digital platforms and eCommerce logistics. This decentralized approach overcomes conventional testing delays to accelerate diagnosis. However, public awareness, adoption, and influencing factors remain largely unknown.

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate digitally connected metropolitan residents' awareness and intention to adopt HRPTS and analyze factors influencing adoption intention.

Methods: This study used a structured questionnaire grounded in the technology acceptance model, which measured perceived usefulness, ease of use, risk, and behavioral intention. Questionnaire development involved focus group discussions to ensure content validity. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression, with scale reliability and validity confirmed by exploratory factor analysis. Using a convenience sampling strategy, 1850 volunteers completed questionnaires via Wenjuanxing. After data validation, 1756 surveys met the inclusion criteria (effective response rate: 94.92%) and were analyzed.

Results: Among 1756 respondents, 54.7% (n=961) knew about HRPTS for respiratory diseases, and 15.3% (n=269) had previously used them. Perceived usefulness was high among respondents: fast pathogen identification (n=1092, 62.2%), early treatment (n=1136, 64.7%), time or cost savings (n=1119, 63.7%), and anxiety alleviation (n=1110, 63.2%). Regarding perceived ease of use, 55.9% (n=982) of the respondents cited robust logistics, 53.8% (n=945) cited online appointment convenience, and 54.2% (n=952) cited simple self-sampling. However, respondents expressed concerns regarding privacy (n=925, 52.7%), test accuracy questions (n=871, 49.6%), and insufficient regulations (n=948, 54.0%). Nevertheless, >70% of the respondents were willing to adopt HRPTS, if available. Multivariate regression showed that higher education (β=.598; P<.001), living with family (β=.271; P=.04), and absence of underlying chronic diseases (β=.321; P=.03) were significant predictors of adoption intention. Additionally, not having used HRPTS before (β=-1.203; P<.001) and less frequent health care-seeking behaviors were negatively associated with adoption intention.

Conclusions: HRPTS as an internet-based health care service holds value for early diagnosis, treatment, and health care optimization in urban China. However, significant concerns regarding test accuracy, data privacy, and regulatory accountability within this evolving digital health sector should be addressed to strengthen respiratory disease prevention in the postpandemic era.