Effectiveness of Self-health Assessment Mobile Application to Promote Health Awareness, Empower Patients and Improve Linkage-to-care Amongst Young-to-midlife Adults in Hong Kong: a Randomised Controlled Trial

The project is a mobile intervention that aims to promote health-seeking behaviour and linkage-to-care among asymptomatic young-to-midlife individuals in Hong Kong. In collaboration with The Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon (LST), the app can be disseminated to large groups of people at relatively lower cost and address workforce and equity issues- accessing the difficult-to-reach groups. LST is a charitable organisation providing quality and diversified social, medical as well as educational services to the general population, especially for the underprivileged, with more than 50 multifunctional subsidiaries in Hong Kong. With promotion by LST, the app can outreach and benefit more people by offering more personalised and tailored advice compared to the conventional web-based resources.

Population health will be improved with the general health promotion impact from the app. Once this project validates the effectiveness of the app, and as the usage and availability of the app become more wide-reaching, it will benefit the general health of the local community in the long run. Increased awareness of common health conditions and associated modifiable behavioural risk factors will help reduce disease burden in the general community. Healthcare expenditure represents a massive social and financial burden for individuals and society. The creation of an algorithm-driven mobile app providing accurate and tailored health information to users regarding their personal risks through self-assessment components may generate interest from the community. This, in turn, would have a positive effect on modifiable behavioural risk factors awareness, promoting a personalised and modern solution to reducing healthcare burden.

This project will enhance our understanding of the challenges to behaviour modification of Hong Kong people. Through comprehensive surveys, we will be able to deepen our understanding of the challenges which make behavioral change difficult. The mobile app data and feedback from app users over time could inform policymakers and health services management on the facilitators and barriers to using mobile apps as an intervention and medium for health promotion. The findings will help the healthcare system keep up with the evolving demands and behaviors of patients in Hong Kong, as the region truly enters into the digital economy and age.

As mobile health intervention is a new and innovative approach, people may take some time to adopt it. However, previous research has reported the interests of people with different demographics in accessing health interventions on digital devices. Since mobile health interventions were user-friendly and effective at improving health outcomes, they can empower patients to seek help and improve linkage-to-care in order to address the ever-growing issue of chronic health conditions in Hong Kong.

In summary, mobile interventions are relatively new with mixed evidence for their effectiveness. Early studies based on specific groups, countries or diseases have shown promising results. Our study will be the first to examine a bilingual, technologically competent population in Hong Kong. The project is an eHealth intervention and could reach a large audience at a relatively low cost, which is not possible with traditional interventions delivered through centers or clinics.