Promoting Mental Well-being through Digital Health: A Dual-Path Study on Psychological Empowerment and Information Acceptance in WeChat Tuberculosis Education for Community Correction Individuals
Junwen Zhang, Wenbo XuAbstract
Objective
This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a psychological empowerment-informed WeChat health education program in improving tuberculosis (TB) prevention knowledge among individuals under community correction. It focuses on examining the dual pathways—enhanced psychological empowerment and active information processing—through which the intervention operates, and assesses its impact on participants' mental well-being.
Subjects and Methods
A quasi-experimental design was implemented with 150 participants. The experimental group received a 12-week structured TB education program delivered via an official WeChat account. The content was designed to foster health-related self-efficacy, perceived control, and critical consciousness. The control group received standard health pamphlets. Outcomes were measured pre- and post-intervention using a validated TB knowledge test, the Health Empowerment Scale, and backend WeChat analytics for engagement metrics (e.g., content interaction time).
Results
Participants in the experimental group demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in TB knowledge scores (40% increase, p<0.01) compared to the control group (15% increase). Path analysis confirmed the dual-path model: increased psychological empowerment directly predicted knowledge gains (β=0.32, p<0.01) and was positively associated with higher behavioral engagement with the WeChat content, which in turn mediated additional knowledge acquisition. Moreover, higher empowerment scores were correlated with lower levels of health-related anxiety.
Conclusions
A WeChat-based health education program, designed to build psychological empowerment, effectively enhances TB knowledge through both motivational and cognitive-behavioral pathways. This integrated approach successfully addresses informational needs while supporting the mental well-being of a vulnerable population, offering a scalable model for digital health promotion in community correction settings.
Corresponding Author
Wenbo Xu, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, Henan, China.