District Health Centre Membership Among Older Adults in Hong Kong (DHCRCT)

The University of Hong Kong (HKU)

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Primary Health Care

Treatments: Behavioral: Home-based and AI-generated digital intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07252934

DHCRCT

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is a cluster randomized controlled trial study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of intergenerational home-based and AI-generated digital interventions in improving the proportion of District Health Centre members among older adults in Hong Kong.

Full description

This is a two-group parallel cluster randomized controlled trial, involving 180 older adults recruited from 6 clusters. Clusters would be allocated to either the intervention or control arm in a 1:1 ratio Participants will receive home-based DHC intervention by trained students, followed by 1-month of AI-generated digital interventions, including infographics, videos, and messages on the introduction and promotion of DHC, via WhatsApp. The primary outcome is to increase the proportion of District Health Centre members. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of participants utilizing DHC services, physical well-being, mental health, and feasibility metrics. Data will be collected via surveys at baseline and follow-ups (1, 3, and 6 months).

This proposed pilot study aims to improve primary healthcare service uptake among older adults in Hong Kong. In doing so, it seeks to support healthier aging, improve health outcomes, alleviate pressure on hospitals, and offer evidence-based framework for addressing the needs of aging populations.

Enrollment: 180 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 65 years or older
• spoke Chinese
• are physically, mentally, and cognitively capable of engaging in simple physical tasks
• understanding survey questions
• non district health centre member

Exclusion criteria

• All subjects have the right to withdraw if they wish not to continue

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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180 participants in 2 patient groups

Education on primary health care utilization

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will receive education on primary healthcare services and their benefits for improving health outcomes. The education program includes a 1.5-hour face-to-face, home-based session and a 4-week AI-generated digital intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Home-based and AI-generated digital intervention

Education on general health

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive general health education relevant to older adults. The program also includes a 1.5-hour face-to-face, home-based session and a 4-week AI-generated digital intervention.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Home-based and AI-generated digital intervention