Authors (including presenting author) :
Chou PK(1), Law SF(1), Kwan WYW(1), Yeung KY(2),Cheung PH(1), Cheung YHK(1), Wong MSM(1), Wong MYM(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Family Medicine and Primary Healthcare, Hong Kong East Cluster
(2) Department of Dietetics, Hong Kong East Cluster
Introduction :
Dietary modification is one of the important and challenging components in Diabetes Mellitus(DM) and pre-diabetes management to control disease progress. However, clients always encountered non-compliance and difficulties on implementing diet control in their daily lives. To achieve optimal control and desirable health outcomes, diet modification involves adult learning and behavioral change. In adult learning theory, people prefer to learn practical skills according to their needs. Health promotion and education should be easily accessible, interactive and effective.
Objectives :
To empower patients to establish desirable eating habits, food behavior and the awareness for dietary change through an interactive approach in General Out-patient Clinic (GOPC).
Methodology :
A preliminary set of questionnaires among diabetes patients in Shaukiwan GOPC was initiated in 2018 to prioritize the relevant health promotion topics. New designed innovative education booth with different themes using food models and samples, stickers and Gashapon machine (Capsule toy vending machine) was set up in two phases:
1st Phase: Choose your low sugar drink (Control your drink, Control your blood sugar), which showed common soft drinks samples from market with numbers of sugar cubes model in each drink sample.
2nd Phase: What is Glycemic Index (GI) Diet, which differentiated the food samples on low GI, middle GI and high GI.
The booths were set up at Shaukiwan GOPC and rotated among clinics in HKEC.
Result & Outcome :
The program was conducted from 1 August 2018 to 31 December 2019 in 3 GOPCs. Thousands of patients visited the booths and games. Questions on understanding of the booth, the usefulness of information, the willingness of sharing learned information to others and suggested interested topic. There were positive remarkable results over 90% on the survey. Most of their interesting topics were “Choice of Dining Out” and “Eating Smart on Restaurant”. All results showed the interactive food modelling education booth were successfully on promoting the awareness of dietary change for DM and pre-DM cases, also establish desirable food behavior and enhance patients’ knowledge of chronic disease management in Primary Healthcare setting.
Interactive health promotion and education program can empower patients in a more impressive and effective way.
