Camouflaged WeChat Mini-program-based Intervention for Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence: Protocol for a Pilot Mixed Methods Study

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health issue and human rights threat worldwide, especially for Chinese immigrant women victims in Hong Kong. Interventions that address negative physical and emotional outcomes from IPV could therefore play a crucial role in enhancing empowerment, social support, and healthy lifestyle among these women. Previous studies in Hong Kong and the United States provided evidence on IPV interventions among Chinese abused women; however, there is a scarcity of evidence on the use of mHealth for abused women while fully considering their safety studies on mobile technology for Chinese immigrant women victims are limited, and there lacks safe, low-cost, and evidence-based mHealth interventions for empowering and supporting women victims who immigrate to Hong Kong and face more vulnerabilities and needs. This study will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a camouflaged WeChat mini-program-based WOMEN Health intervention for women victims of IPV.

This pilot mixed methods study will adopt the randomized, wait-list controlled trial with two groups (1:1 ratio), followed by in-depth interviews with participants in the WOMEN Health programme group at post-intervention. It will evaluate feasibility and acceptability as the primary outcomes and compare scores changes after 12 weeks interventions between Chinese immigrant women who are screened positive for IPV randomly assigned to receiving genuine IPV intervention and disguised healthy lifestyle intervention, and Chinese immigrant women who are screened positive for IPV in a control procedure. The wait-list control group will also receive the WOMEN Health programme after the intervention group completed the programme.