Effects of a Program Applying the Transtheoretical Model on Diet and Exercise Behaviors among Hospital Personnel with Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome is a major public health concern associated with increased risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. Hospital personnel may be particularly vulnerable due to occupational demands, shift work, and limited opportunities for self-care. Objective: To evaluate the effects of a stage-tailored intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model on awareness of metabolic syndrome prevention, dietary behavior, physical activity, body weight, and waist circumference among hospital personnel with metabolic syndrome. Methods: A quasi-experimental two-group pretest–posttest design with cluster allocation was conducted among 64 hospital personnel in a private hospital in Thailand. Four departmental clusters were first identified, and cluster-level simple random allocation was used to assign two clusters to the intervention group and two clusters to the comparison group. Simple random sampling was then used to select participants until the required sample size of 32 participants per group was achieved. The intervention group received a five-week stage-tailored intervention followed by a three-week follow-up period, while the comparison group received routine health information. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, paired t-tests, and independent t-tests (p < .05). Results: The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in awareness of metabolic syndrome prevention and physical activity over time (p < .05). Waist circumference also showed a significant within-group reduction in the intervention group. However, no significant group-by-time interaction effects were observed for behavioral or anthropometric outcomes, and no significant between-group differences were found in body weight or waist circumference. Conclusion: A stage-tailored intervention based on the Transtheoretical Model resulted in partial improvements in awareness and selected health outcomes, particularly physical activity and waist circumference within the intervention group. These findings suggest potential benefits of readiness-based behavioral strategies in workplace health promotion; however, stronger evidence from larger and longer-term studies is needed to confirm between-group effectiveness.