Development and Assessment of a Social Network Service-Based Lifestyle-Modification Program for Workers at High Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in the United States. This study examined the cardiovascular disease risk factors and health beliefs of workers for the purpose of developing a social network service (SNS)-based (e.g., Facebook and KakaoTalk) lifestyle-modification program for workers. Participants included 68 hospital workers (aged 25-60 years), with more than two metabolic syndrome or cardiovascular disease risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: SNS intervention group ( n = 23), education-only intervention group ( n = 19), or nonintervention group ( n = 26). Data were collected to compare changes in risk indicators according to the intervention method and time and analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Compared to the education and nonintervention groups, the SNS intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in waist circumference, body mass index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, health promotion behaviors, and self-efficacy. This type of program has potential for allowing occupational health professionals to work with workers to improve lifestyle behaviors that promote health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Use of social media platforms for promoting healthy employee lifestyles and occupational health and safety prevention: A systematic review

“…After the selection process and elimination of duplicates, 69 articles were eligible for full text selection, of which 10 studies were eligible for inclusion. Seven of these studies aim to assess an organization's use of social media to promote a healthy lifestyle among its employees ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 , Miller et al, 2019 , Ruck et al, 2017 , Sendall et al, 2018 , Torquati et al, 2018 , Woo et al, 2020 ), one study centers on the use of social media by an organization to promote an OHS program ( Hudson and Hall, 2013 ) and two studies focus on the use of a platform to share information and good practices in OHS ( Douyère, 2011 , Rhebergen et al, 2010 ). No practice guidelines or systematic reviews were found on these topics.…”

“…Seven studies included the use of social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter) as part of a broad intervention focused on implementing good healthy workplace habits ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 , Miller et al, 2019 , Ruck et al, 2017 , Sendall et al, 2018 , Torquati et al, 2018 , Woo et al, 2020 ). These studies involved between 17 and 1562 participants and investigated the promotion of a healthy lifestyle in different settings, such as the transportation industry ( Sendall et al, 2018 ), health care ( Miller et al, 2019 , Ruck et al, 2017 , Torquati et al, 2018 , Woo et al, 2020 ) and education ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 ). The main characteristics of these studies are presented in Table 2 .…”

“… 50% reported that they “liked” the page to add it to their Facebook feed; The intervention displayed on the Facebook page did not result in driver engagement. The Health Care Sector Woo et al (2020) South Korea Quality: LOW Randomised control trial (RCT) Hospital workers, aged 25 to 60 years who had more than two metabolic syndrome risk factors or risk factors for cardiovascular disease (n = 68) Private social network services (SNS) (Facebook and KakaoTalk) The program include basic education, general counseling, goal setting, regular physical counseling, and education on nutritional management (based on the Health Belief Model) 3 months 3 groups: SNS (n = 23), conventional education (n = 19), no intervention (n = 26) At 6 weeks (1.5 months) : statistical improvement of abdominal circumference, BMI, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol in SNS group compared to other groups At 12 weeks (3 months ): significant difference in abdominal circumference, BMI, Total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, health promotion behaviors, and self-efficacy compared to other groups ‘ Miller et al (2019) United States Quality: LOW Mixed-method (focus groups) (descriptive analysis questionnaire) Direct Support Person (DSP), aged from 18 to 65 years old, who provided care to adults with disabilities Employee Facebook group Facebook content designed to improve the target population’s SOC using the processes of change and motivational messages, focusing on consciousness raising, self-liberation, short-term goals, helping relationships, and stimulus control. 3 months 37 DSP participated in the Facebook group Mean views per theory-based message: 12.2 (range = 0–27) Average total new views per theory-based message: 2.9 (range = 0–11).…”

“…The randomised control trial (RCT) published by Woo et al (2020) evaluated the effectiveness of a Social Network Service (SNS)-based lifestyle-modification program for hospital workers at risk of developing cardiovascular disease ( Woo et al, 2020 ). A total of 68 workers were divided into three groups at random: the SNS intervention group (n = 23), the conventional education-only intervention group (n = 19), and the non-intervention group (n = 26).…”

“…Some studies have a well-defined population ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 , Torquati et al, 2018 ) or well-defined outcomes of interest ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 , Rhebergen et al, 2010 , Torquati et al, 2018 , Woo et al, 2020 ). However, the majority of the studies have a small sample size ( Bopp et al, 2018 , Mackenzie et al, 2015 , Miller et al, 2019 , Sendall et al, 2018 , Torquati et al, 2018 , Woo et al, 2020 ) that does not provide sufficient statistical power to determine a significant difference or to generalize the results to larger populations. The short duration of the studies (under a year) may also be insufficient to observe significant behavioral changes in the participants and may explain the small magnitude of the observed effect.…”