Research Protocol On Developing an Integrated Technology-Moderated Institutional Health Promotion Model (ITIHPM)for Use in Nigeria Universities

Health promotion is advocated worldwide as being an efficient strategy to enhance quality of life and control the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. health promoting lifestyle has been linked to high prevalence of most non-communicable diseases. Efficient and effective health promoting lifestyle practices is beneficial in prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, as well as improving the quality of life. World Health Organization has established workplace and schools as priority settings for health promotion in the 21st century as locus of reaching large number of audience. Workplace and schools also offer an ideal settings and infrastructure to support the health promoting activities that will improve the quality of life of workers and students. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) has made the world a global village, both young and old engages in one form of ICTs or the other. This study aims to adopt operational research approach to design, develop and pilot-test Integrated Technology-Moderated Institutional Health Promotion Model (ITIHPM) that will enhance health promoting behaviour and lifestyle modification of staff in Nigeria universities.

The objectives of the study are:

1. To determine the health-promoting behaviour of NOUN staff;
2. To assess the health status of NOUN staff;
3. To examine factors that influence the health promoting lifestyle behaviour of NOUN staff;
4. To assess institutional policies available to encourage NOUN staff to practise health -promoting lifestyles;
5. To assess resources available in the institution that encourage health-promoting behavior;
6. To examine protocols in place to ensure adoption of health-promoting behaviour and healthy lifestyle of NOUN staff;
7. To determine technology-moderated applications/platforms that would be useful in promoting knowledge and skills acquisition for health-promoting behaviour and lifestyle modifications among NOUN staff; and
8. To determine the impact of a technologically-based institutional health promotion model among NOUN staff.

Who can participate? All staff that are on the university pay roll in the selected study centres, irrespective of their age.

What does the study involve? Two study centres will be randomly selected from the six study centers selected during the first phase of the study. The two centres are randomly allocated into two groups two (experimental group and control group). The control group will receive tips on health promoting lifestyle practices, answer health promoting lifestyle profile questionnaire before giving the tips, have their weight, height, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, abdominal circumference and hip circumference checked. The group will further answer the questionnaire and have their weight, height, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, abdominal circumference and hip circumference checked at 6 weeks and at 12 weeks. While the experimental group will have four weeks training (educational package) on nutrition, exercise/physical activity, stress management, health responsibility, self-actualization and interpersonal relationship through seminar and symposium for 45-60 minutes 4 times in a week for the 4 weeks. At the beginning of the training database of all the participants will be created. This will include socio-demographic data and baseline health assessment that is related to the study (weight, height, blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, abdominal circumference and hip circumference). Participants will also answer questionnaire on health promoting lifestyle practice at the beginning of the training. The same procedure will be taken at week zero (immediately after the training), at 6 weeks and at 12 weeks. In the last two sections of the meeting, participants will be informed and intimate on the use of the software package and encourage them to ask questions. The participants will receive audio and video messages on health promoting lifestyle practices once in a week. The software application will be designed in a way that both the principal investigator and participants can interact at any time. The Technology-Moderated Institutional Health Promotion Model will also give opportunity to university staff to have assessed to a Community Health Nurse Specialist (health promotion expert) at every needed time. Four sessions of Focus Group Discussions among cohorts of staff will be conducted to identify barriers to healthy lifestyle practices using the developed model.