The prevalence of obesity and related metabolic syndrome is increasing, bringing substantial socioeconomic burdens to society. According to statistics from the Department of Health, over 50% of Hong Kong’s general population is classified as obese (BMI ≥ 25.0 kg/m²) or overweight (BMI ≥ 23.0 kg/m²), while central obesity accounts for 37.8%. The prevalence of various disorders that constitute metabolic syndrome ranges from 8.5% (hyperglycaemia or diabetes) to 51.9% (raised blood cholesterol or hypercholesterolaemia). Approximately 10% to 20% of hospitalization costs related to diabetes, hypertension, and/or dyslipidaemia in public hospitals in Hong Kong are attributable to obesity. However, medications and surgeries for obesity may cause adverse effects and complications. Therefore, a painless, simple, and safe intervention with minimal or no adverse effects—such as auricular acupressure—for obesity and related metabolic syndrome is urgently needed.
This project aims to evaluate the efficacy of self-administered auricular acupressure integrated with a smartphone app—a composite intervention for individuals with obesity and metabolic syndrome. It adopts a two-arm randomized clinical trial design with two groups: (1) self-administered auricular acupressure integrated with a smartphone app (experimental group), and (2) usual care (control group). The potential benefits of this project include providing an efficacious weight control remedy as a more convenient, simple, and safe alternative to current approaches, thereby reducing the socioeconomic burdens associated with obesity and related metabolic syndrome. In addition, integrating a smartphone app will promote the development of mobile health (mHealth) in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Furthermore, the project will assess potential differences in the therapeutic effects among patients with different TCM syndromes.