A modern web-based health promotion program for patients in Greece with diabetes 2 and obesity: an interventional study.

BACKGROUND: Health promotion programs are most beneficial in chronic diseases such as diabetes and morbid obesity, which can be positively affected by changes in attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyle. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop an internet-based modern Health Promotion model using interactive online applications through continuing education and participation. METHODS: The goal was to positively impact knowledge, behavior, and quality of life for patients with obesity and/or diabetes. This is a prospective interventional study on patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes. Seventeen two patients who met the inclusion criteria were distributed randomly into two groups (control and intervention) from 2019 to 2021 in Greece. All the participants were given questionaries concerning quality of life anxiety and depression (HADS) attitudes and beliefs, knowledge about their condition and general questions to establish a baseline. A traditional health promotion model was followed for the control group. For participants in the intervention group, a web-based health promotion program was created according to the goals of the research. Participants were instructed to log on 1-2 times a week for 5-15 min, with the understanding that the research team would be monitoring their activities. The website included two knowledge games and personalized educational material based on their needs. RESULTS: The sample comprised 72 patients (36 in control and 36 in the intervention groups). The mean age was 47.8 years for the control group and 42.7 years for the intervention group (p = 0.293). Both study groups had a significant increase in knowledge score on diabetes (Control group:3,24, Intervention group 11,88 p < 0,001) and obesity (Control group:4,9, Intervention group 51,63 p < 0,001) along with a positive attitude score towards fighting obesity (Control group: 1,8, Intervention group 13,6 p < 0,001). Still, the overall change was more remarkable for the intervention group, as indicated by the significant interaction effect of the analysis. Anxiety was decreased only in the intervention group (Control group:0,11, Intervention group - 0,17 p < 0,005). Analysis for QOL during follow-up showed that Physical Health and Level of Independence was improved in both study groups but the degree of improvement was more significant in the intervention group (Control group 0,31,Intervention group 0,73 p < 0,001). Psychological Health was improved only in the intervention group, with better scores at 6 and 12 months compared to controls (Control group 0,28,Intervention group 1,42 p < 0,001). Furthermore, Social relationships were improved only in the intervention group (Control group 0,02, Intervention group 0,56 p < 0,001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that the participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs after using the internet as a learning tool. The intervention group also showed significantly reduced anxiety and depression arising from chronic illness. All of this resulted in an improved quality of life regarding physical Health, mental Health, and social relationships. Technology and online-based health promotion programs can revolutionize how we approach the prevention and management of chronic and terminal illnesses by improving accessibility, personalizing care, increasing engagement and motivation, improving data analysis, and disease management.

Knowledge of Greek adolescents on human papilloma virus (HPV) and vaccination: A national epidemiologic study.

The aim of the present study was to identify the sexual behavior, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge on sexually transmitted infections (STIs) focused on human papilloma virus (HPV) in the Greek adolescent population. The participants were 4547 adolescents, a representative sample for Greek territory with a mean age of 17 years. After written permission from Greek ministry of education each student completed a questionnaire with 36 questions. The fields covered were demographic characteristics, sexual life data, and basic knowledge on HPV. In the present study, 43% and 75% of the participants knew about HPV or cervical cancer, while more than 6 out of 10 did not know the association between the 2. More than 60% of the participants could not answer correctly neither about HPV infection and cervical cancer frequency in sexually active women, nor about protection methods against HPV and cervical cancer. This study shows that the low vaccination coverage of the Greek population may be due to lack of information and awareness of the adolescents and their parents. It is our duty to increase our efforts in order to better educate the population and vaccinate the population as early as possible in their reproductive years.

The impact of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication on the long-term quality of life in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication is now the most common surgical procedure for treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), offering promising long-term outcomes. Outcomes for 46 patients with GERD who underwent Nissen fundoplication during the last 5 years (November 2007-June 2012) were prospectively studied using a structured questionnaire that evaluated clinical symptom scores for heartburn, dysphagia, and satisfaction with clinical outcomes. Postoperative care of the patients including analgesia, median hospital stay, overall cost, and complications was also studied. Clinical follow-up data for 2 years after surgery were available for all 46 patients. Forty-two patients (91.3%) were satisfied with their quality of life and only eight patients (17.4%) continued to receive antacids after surgery. Dysphagia to solid and liquid occasionally appeared in 26.1% (N = 12) and 17.4% (N = 8) of patients, respectively. Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication was an effective long-term treatment for GERD. The operation resulted in a significant reduction of symptoms and minimized the use of antacid drugs with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Although some patients may have returned to antacid treatment at late follow-up or continued to complain of mild discomfort, they were overall pleased with the outcome.