Development of a Lifestyle Promotion Model Based on Lifestyle Medicine to Prevent Hypertension of Military Personnel in the 1st Army Area

Abstract

 This study aimed to: (1) examine the health status and lifestyle behaviors of military personnel under the 1st Army Area; (2) develop a lifestyle promotion model based on lifestyle medicine principles to prevent hypertension; and (3) implement and evaluate the developed model. The study employed a research and development (R&D) design consisting of 3 phases: Phase 1: Situation diagnosis, quantitative data was collected from 241 military personnel, and qualitative data was obtained from 12 stakeholders through in-depth interviews. Phase 2: Model development, the lifestyle promotion model based on lifestyle medicine principles was developed using the findings from Phase 1 and validated by experts. Phase 3: Model implementation, the developed model was implemented with an experimental group (n = 30) and a comparison group (n = 30) for 8 weeks. Data analysis in the implementation phase focused on evaluating changes in early- and intermediate-level outcomes of disease prevention, using pre–post comparisons within groups and outcome comparisons between the experimental and comparison groups.
The results revealed that after the intervention, the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher levels of perceived severity of hypertension, perceived susceptibility, response efficacy, and health-promoting lifestyle behaviors than before the experiment and compared with the control group (p <.01). Furthermore, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and systolic blood pressure significantly decreased (p <.01). These findings indicate that the developed lifestyle medicine-based model was effective in promoting health and preventing hypertension. These findings reflect a reduction in risk factors and meaningful changes in disease prevention, representing key mechanisms for the effective long-term prevention of hypertension.