Auricular Acupressure Integrated With a Smartphone Application for Weight Reduction

Prior treatment

• has drug-induced obesity;
• is planning to have weight-reduction treatment(s) (such as medications targeted for weight reduction, and bariatric surgery) in the coming 6 months.
• is taking the following medications that potentially affect the body weight:
  • Corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone and dexamethasone)
  • Second generation antipsychotics (e.g., olanzapine, clozapine, quetiapine and risperidone)
  • Levothyroxine
  • FDA-approved medications for obesity or weight loss (e.g., phentermine, diethylpropion, phendimetrazine, phentermine + topiramate extended release (ER), naltrexone + bupropion ER, orlistat, liraglutide, semaglutide and GLP-1 (liraglutide/ semaglutide) + tirzepatide)

Other illness

• has any eating disorder (screened by the 5-item SCOFF questionnaire);
• has cognitive impairment (Abbreviated Mental Test (Hong Kong version), AMT score below 6 (less than or equal to 5) will be excluded.);
• has cancer; or

Other

• is pregnant;
• has a severe body disability, such as hemiplegia, that may prevent following instructions to use the smartphone.

• age ≥ 18 years;
• Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2 and /or abdominal obesity (i.e., central obesity), that is, male waist circumference ≥ 90cm while female waist circumference ≥ 80cm;
• fulfils diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome with any two or more of the following: (a) blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg and/ or confirmed diagnosis of hypertension with treatment; (b) fasting blood glucose ≥ 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L) and/ or confirmed diagnosis of diabetes with treatment; (c) fasting triglyceride ≥ 150 mg/dl (1.7 mmol/L) and/ or received specific treatment on dyslipidaemia; (d) fasting high-density lipoprotein (HDL) \< 40mg/dl (\< 1.03mmol/L) in male; \< 50mg/dl (\< 1.29 mmol/L) and/ or received specific treatment on dyslipidaemia; These standards are based on the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome from the World Health Organisation (1999), the International Diabetes Federation Criteria (2005), and the Chinese Diabetes Society (2000);
• are taking medications and receiving follow-up medical consultation \[Note: With the consent of the participants, the researchers (i.e., the RCA and the RA) will verify relevant medical records in the follow-up appointments\];
• taken no weight control measures in the past 6 months;
• has no trauma, inflammation or pathological lesion on ears;
• is a smartphone user.