Employees’ Behaviors Concerning Metabolic Syndrome Prevention: A Cellphone-Based Text Message Education Intervention

Background: the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (metsyn) is increasing in iran. this study was an attempt to determine the effects of a short message service (sms)-based education intervention on knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors concerning metsyn among a sample of employees of iran university of medical sciences (iums). methods: in this randomized controlled trial, conducted from january through april 2021, 144 iums staff members were assigned either to the intervention group (n=72) or to the control group (n=72). thirty-two text messages were designed, pretested, and sent to the participants’ phones in the intervention group in 32 days. knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors vis-à-vis metsyn were measured in the intervention group before and 1 month after the intervention and compared with those in the control group at the same time points. the data were analyzed using paired t tests and ancova. results: the mean age of the employees in the intervention and control groups was 42.97±8.80 and 40.81±9.58 years, respectively. the results showed that the mean scores of knowledge (p<0.001), attitude (p<0.001), and the adoption of preventive behaviors regarding metsyn (p=0.009) were significantly different between the intervention and control groups after the intervention was done via sms. conclusion: the results of the present study showed that sms-based interventions might improve knowledge, attitude, and the adoption of preventive behaviors pertaining to metsyn among employees.