Effectiveness of a Self-health Assessment Mobile Application in Young-to-midlife Adults in Hong Kong

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

This project aims to compare the effectiveness of Wellnuts, an evidence-based, algorithm-driven self-health assessment mobile application, in empowering asymptomatic young-to-midlife adults in Hong Kong, promoting health awareness, and improving health-seeking behaviour and linkage-to-care, compared with conventional web-based health resources. Participants will be randomly allocated to the mobile health intervention group (Wellnuts app with self-health assessment and health information) and the conventional web-based resources control group (health information from Centre for Health Protection website). Hopefully, population health will be improved with the general health promotion impact from the app.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Colorectal Cancer; Lung Cancer; HBV; Diabetes Risk; CVD Risk
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Wellnuts app intervention; Other: Web-based health resources

Detailed Description

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 574
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Levon Yongle Zhan, PhD; Phone Number: 852-25185656; Email: levon@hku.hk

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • Recruiting
    • District Health Centre/Expresses (DHC/E) in Yau Tsim Mong, Sha Tin and Kwai Tsing
    • Contact: Yongle Zhan, PhD; Phone Number: 852-25185656; Email: levon@hku.hk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Hong Kong residents self-reported age of 25-65 years;
• Possesses a smartphone capable of running mobile apps (e.g. Android or iPhone) and;
• Able to read either English or Chinese.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals having any symptoms or feeling unwell in anyways as detailed in the Disclaimer at the launch of the app; or
• Individuals reporting a current diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, hepatitis B, colorectal cancer, diabetes, sexually transmitted diseases, depression, anxiety and mild cognitive impairment and memory loss.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group; Participants allocated to the intervention group will use the Wellnuts mobile application.	Other: Wellnuts app intervention; The app adopts an evidence-based and algorithm-driven self-health assessment approach. It is designed to help participants assess their health risks, increase health awareness and encourage appropriate health-seeking behaviour. The app provides self-health assessment related to common health conditions and modifiable behavioural risk factors. Participants assessed as "at-risk" are provided with relevant recommendations, including recommended tests and follow-up actions where appropriate.
Active Comparator: Control group; Participants allocated to the control group will receive access to conventional web-based health resources from the Centre for Health Protection website which is run by the Department of Health.	Other: Web-based health resources; Conventional web-based health resources are from the Centre for Health Protection website which was run by the Department of Health (https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/25/index.html). These resources provide general health information and links to relevant support groups.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Proportion of participants who sought medical assistance	3 months and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of healthy lifestyle behaviours	Lifestyle behaviours will be collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Healthy lifestyle behaviours include no tobacco smoking, no alcohol drinking, frequent physical activity, and diverse food intake.	3 months and 6 months
Proportion of participants who attended the follow-up tests after being assessed as "at risk" by the mobile app		3 months and 6 months
Level of satisfaction with the project	Level of satisfaction with the project will be evaluated using a five-point Likert item (very disappointed, disappointed, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied).	3 months and 6 months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Level of patient empowerment	Level of patient empowerment will be estimated using the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI). PEI is a 6-item scale developed to assess the empowerment of patients after a consultation with their primary care clinician.	6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: William Chi Wai Wong, MD, The University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 10, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 17, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 22, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 17, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chronic disease; Mobile application; Hong Kong; Randomised control trial; Linkage-to-care; Health empowerment; Self-health assessment; Health awareness
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Disease Attributes; Intestinal Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms; Digestive System Neoplasms; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Intestinal Neoplasms; Rectal Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiratory Tract Neoplasms; Thoracic Neoplasms; Colonic Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Lung Neoplasms; Colorectal Neoplasms; Chronic Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: 07220148 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Health and Medical Research Fund)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No