Employees’ Behaviors Concerning Metabolic Syndrome Prevention: A Cellphone-Based Text Message Education Intervention

Shabnam Didehban; Tahereh Dehdari; Leila Janani; Farzad Masoudkabir

doi:10.18502/jthc.v16i4.8602

Shabnam Didehban School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Tahereh Dehdari School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Leila Janani School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Farzad Masoudkabir Cardiac Primary Prevention Research Center, Cardiovascular Diseases Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jthc.v16i4.8602

Keywords: Metabolic syndrome; Knowledge; Attitude; Behavior; Text messaging

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is increasing in Iran. This study was an attempt to determine the effects of a short message service (SMS)-based education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors concerning MetSyn among a sample of employees of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS).

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, conducted from January through April 2021, 144 IUMS staff members were assigned either to the intervention group (n=72) or to the control group (n=72). Thirty-two text messages were designed, pretested, and sent to the participants’ phones in the intervention group in 32 days. Knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors vis-à-vis MetSyn were measured in the intervention group before and 1 month after the intervention and compared with those in the control group at the same time points. The data were analyzed using paired t tests and ANCOVA.

Results: The mean age of the employees in the intervention and control groups was 42.97±8.80 and 40.81±9.58 years, respectively. The results showed that the mean scores of knowledge (P<0.001), attitude (P<0.001), and the adoption of preventive behaviors regarding MetSyn (P=0.009) were significantly different between the intervention and control groups after the intervention was done via SMS.

Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that SMS-based interventions might improve knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors pertaining to MetSyn among employees.