The Impact of a Health Empowerment Program on Self-Care Enablement and Mental Health among Low-Income Families: Evidence from a 5 Year Cohort Study in Hong Kong

Fangcao Lu, Carlos King Ho Wong, Emily Tsui Yee Tse, Amy Pui Pui Ng, Lanlan Li, Joyce Sau Mei Lam, Laura Bedford, Daniel Yee Tak Fong, Patrick Ip and Cindy Lo Kuen Lam ()
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Fangcao Lu: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Carlos King Ho Wong: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Emily Tsui Yee Tse: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Amy Pui Pui Ng: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Lanlan Li: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Joyce Sau Mei Lam: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Laura Bedford: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Daniel Yee Tak Fong: School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Patrick Ip: Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Cindy Lo Kuen Lam: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-16

Abstract: Health empowerment can be an effective way to reduce health inequities. This prospective cohort study evaluated the 5 year impact of a health empowerment program (HEP) on health outcomes among adults from low-income families. The Patient Enablement Instrument version 2 (PEI-2), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21), and 12 item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) were administered at baseline and follow-up for both intervention and comparison groups. A total of 289 participants ( n = 162 for intervention group, n = 127 for comparison group) were included in the analysis. Most of the participants were female (72.32%), and aged from 26 to 66 years old (M = 41.63, SD = 6.91). Linear regressions weighted by inverse probability weighting using the propensity score showed that, after follow-up of 5 years, the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater increases in all items and total scores for the PEI-2 (all B > 0.59, p < 0.001), greater decreases in the DASS depression score (B = −1.98 p = 0.001), and greater increases in the Mental Component Summary score of the SF-12v2 (B = 2.99, p = 0.027) than the comparison group. The HEP may be an effective intervention enabling adults from low-income families to manage their health-related issues and improve their mental health, as evidenced by our study.

Keywords: empowerment; self-care enablement; low-income families; health-related quality of life; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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