Health Behavior Nudge Strategies for Chronic Disease Patients: the Study of Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes

Lin Han

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Self-management Behavior; Hypertension; Economics, Behavioral; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM); Health Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: nudge

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06588127

722740872020

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is conducted from the perspective of behavioral economics, where individuals often display bounded rationality in decision-making, opting for habitual choices rather than those most advantageous to themselves. Nudge strategies can utilize individuals' cognitive and motivational shortcomings to influence behavior. Therefore, the study first examines the decision-making biases present in patients with hypertension (HP) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) regarding the maintenance of healthy behaviors based on individuals' bounded rationality; subsequently, it develops an intervention program to encourage healthy behaviors in HP and T2DM patients alongside nudge strategies; finally, it assesses the intervention effects of the program on blood pressure, blood glucose, and health behaviors in HP and T2DM patients.

Full description

The study was conducted in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China. The research selected two communities of similar scale and level, recruiting 133 patients with HP and T2DM. A six-month quasi-experimental study was performed, where the intervention group implemented nudging strategies while the control group received standard community nursing. By measuring the patients' blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and utilizing the Diabetes Self-Care Scale, Hypertension Self-Management Behavior rang Scale，Patient Activation Measure，Short-Form Health Survey, Activity of Daily Living Scale to assess the behavioral changes in both groups, validated the intervention effect of the nudging strategy on the health behaviors of patients with HP and T2DM.

Enrollment: 133 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age ≥ 18 years
• Previously diagnosed with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or hypertension combined with type 2 diabetes
• Able to use mobile phones or other electronic devices
• Informed consent

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who are pregnant or breastfeeding;
• Patients with severe diabetes, hypertension complications, or other serious illnesses;
• Patients with hearing or vision impairments;
• Patients with cognitive impairments or mental illnesses;
• Patients with acute complications.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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133 participants in 2 patient groups

Nudge Group

Experimental group

Description:

The research formed an intervention team comprising 1 project leader, 2 project members, 1 community general practitioner, and 3 community nurses. The project leader oversees the project's progress and quality, while the project members implement specific intervention measures. The community general practitioner addresses the health issues faced by patients in their daily lives, and the nurses communicate with both patients and project team members. The intervention is executed on-site and online, with online efforts primarily utilizing WeChat, a widely used social tool in China. The research will span 6 months, with data collection occurring at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

Treatment:

Behavioral: nudge

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

According to the Basic Public Health Service Specification of China and the Prevention and Control Management Guidelines for Hypertension and Diabetes in Primary Health care, routine community care for HP and T2DM patients should be conducted, including monitoring blood pressure and blood sugar, follow-up on the health status of patients, and distribution of community health promotion materials.