Efficacy of a WeChat Public Account-based intervention for problematic smartphone use among Chinese undergraduate students: A randomized controlled trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Problematic smartphone use (PSU) among Chinese undergraduate students has become a significant public health concern. This study sought to develop a targeted preventive intervention for PSU, grounded in the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model and delivered through WeChat official accounts. OBJECTIVE This study sought to develop a targeted preventive intervention for PSU, grounded in the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model and delivered through WeChat official accounts. METHODS A total of 210 college students identified as having PSU were recruited, stratified by gender, and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group received content targeting information, motivation, and behavioral skills via WeChat official accounts over a 6-week period, while the control group continued their regular activities. Primary outcomes included pre- and post-intervention scores on the Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV) and the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included average daily smartphone use time, sleep duration, sleep quality, and somatic and psychological symptoms. All analyses were conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. RESULTS The results of the analysis using generalized linear mixed models showed that (1) a significant difference in smartphone addiction scale scores existed between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05), with significantly lower addiction scores in the intervention group compared to the control group (t=-3.025, P=0.003); (2) motivation scale scores were significantly different between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05), with higher scores in the intervention group compared to the control group (t=2.240, P=0.026); (3) behavioral skills scale scores were significantly different between the two groups after the intervention (P<0.05), with higher scores in the intervention group compared to the control group (t=3.436, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS The WeChat public account intervention based on the IMB model partially mitigated problematic smartphone use among college students, providing a foundation for developing practical intervention strategies.