Effects of a health management intervention program using WeChat platform in a hypertensive population aged under 45

Abstract

Objective This study aims to determine the effects of a health management program based on WeChat platform on a hypertensive population aged under 45. Methods 1 128 hypertensive patients aged between 18 and 44 received a health examination from January 2016 to December 2016 and they were divided into intervention （n=561） and control （n=567）groups. The two groups were followed up after 1 year, and initially both the intervention group （n=521） and the control group （n=510） completed a lifestyle questionnaire, and their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)，body mass index (BMI), and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were recorded. For the control group, lifestyle health management programs were conducted. For the intervention group, a learning platform was arranged on WeChat, which uploaded questionnaires, and provided medical information to create electronic health records. The group gained hypertension-related knowledge, dynamically monitored blood pressure and lifestyle, and participated in interactive question-and-answer sessions. Both groups were followed up after a year, and their systolic pressure, diastolic blood pressure, TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C，BMI, and PWV levels were measured. The changes in their daily exercise time, vegetable intake, sleep time, weekly blood pressure reading, smoking, and salt intake were recorded. Results The mean age of the WeChat intervention group was 33.1 (+10.6) years, which had 319 males (61.2%), and the mean age of the control group was 32.8 (+10.2) years, with 307 males (60.1%). No difference of clinical data was found between the two groups at baseline. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the intervention group, （142.4±10.4） mmHg （1 mmHg=0.133 kPa） （85.1±8.2） mmHg was significantly lower than that of the control group （149.6±10.1）mmHg, （92.3±9.1） mmHg （t=3.67, 2.33, P 0.05）. Conclusions The health management program based on WeChat platform can improve diet, exercise compliance, and lifestyle, and effectively reduce blood pressure and blood lipid levels for a hypertensive population under the age of 45.