Remote Physical Activity Monitoring in Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome

The Development and Application of a Toolset for Monitoring Personalized Physical Activity and Evaluation of Its Effectiveness in Individuals With Metabolic Syndrome

A prospective intervention study to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed toolset for remote physical activity monitoring to improve arterial stiffness and other cardiometabolic parameters and to increase physical activity levels and the compliance to the prescribed exercise in individuals with metabolic syndrome.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Usage of a wearable heart rate monitor and a smartphone with the application for home-based exercises

Detailed Description

At first, all subjects of the prospective study participated in the 2-month outpatient aerobic exercise program, which consisted of 40 aerobic training sessions on a cycle ergometer 5 times/week for 40 min. During all training sessions, heart rate was maintained at the targeted level, which was obtained individually by cardiopulmonary test. After 2 months, during individual motivational consultations, all participants received recommendations for home-based training and were randomly allocated to the intervention or the control group. Then only the intervention group subjects participated in the 6-month home-based aerobic exercise program using a wearable heart rate monitor, which was connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. The intervention group subjects used a smartphone application created for the study. The control group participants were asked to exercise at home for 6 months without wearables and smartphone application. The evaluation of the study participants was performed at baseline (1st visit), after 2 months (2nd visit) and after 8 months (3rd visit).

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 200
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Lithuania
  • Vilnius, Lithuania, LT-08406
    • Outpatient clinic "InMedica"

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males (40-55 years) and females (50-65 years) with metabolic syndrome, having at least three of the following five criteria: hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides ≥ 1.7 mmol/l); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≤ 1.03 mmol/l for men or ≤ 1.29 mmol/l for women; abdominal obesity (waist circumference > 102 cm for men and > 88 cm for women); elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 85 mmHg or current use of antihypertensive drugs); elevated fasting plasma glucose ≥ 5.6 mmol/l;

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with overt cardiovascular disease (previous myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention, previous stroke)
• Patients with severe heart failure symptoms, uncontrolled hypertension
• Patients with urinary tract infection or fever for another unknown reason
• Patients who have actively exercised in the last 24 hours
• Pregnant women

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group; Individuals participated in the 2-month outpatient aerobic exercise training program, which consisted of 40 training sessions on a cycle ergometer 5 times/week for 40 min. Then during motivational consultation, individuals received recommendations for healthy lifestyle and home-based training. After that, study subjects participated in the 6-month home-based aerobic exercise program using wearable device (heart rate monitor), which was connected to the smartphone via Bluetooth. A special smartphone application enabled participants to keep their training heart rate during home-based exercises (or workouts).	Device: Usage of a wearable heart rate monitor and a smartphone with the application for home-based exercises; Physical activity self-monitoring using a wearable heart rate monitor and a smartphone with specially designed application
No Intervention: Control group; Individuals participated in the 2-month outpatient aerobic exercise training program, which consisted of 40 training sessions on a cycle ergometer 5 times/week for 40 min. Then during motivational consultation, individuals received recommendations for healthy lifestyle and home-based training. After that, study subjects participated in the 6-month home-based aerobic exercise program without wearable devices and smartphone application.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in carotid-radial pulse wave velocity and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity	Measured by applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor, ArtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia), all in m/s.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in mean blood pressure in the aorta, mean blood pressure in the brachial artery and pulse pressure in the aorta	Measured by applanation tonometry (SphygmoCor, ArtCor Medical, Sydney, Australia), all in mmHg.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in cardio-ankle vascular index	Measured by VaSera-1000 (Fukuda, Denshi, Japan).	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in common carotid artery intima-media thickness	Measured by performing a carotid artery ultrasound (in μm).	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in carotid artery ß stiffness index	Measured by performing a carotid artery ultrasound.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max)	Measured by performing a cardiopulmonary exercise test (Vmax® Encore 229, SensorMedics, USA) in ml/kg/min.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in the levels of metabolic equivalents of task (METs)	Measured by performing a cardiopulmonary exercise test (Vmax® Encore 229, SensorMedics, USA) in METs.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in heart rate at rest and training heart rate	Measured by performing a cardiopulmonary exercise test (Vmax® Encore 229, SensorMedics, USA) in bpm.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in lipids and glucose levels in the blood	Total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels and fasting glucose were measured in blood samples (all in mmol/L).	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in C-reactive protein levels in the blood	Measured in blood samples (in mg/L).	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in body mass index (BMI)	Weight (kg) and height (m) were measured to report BMI in kg/m^2.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in waist circumference	Waist circumference was measured in cm.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in blood pressure parameters	Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (in mmHg) were measured in a sitting position using oscillometric device.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in the status of cardiovascular risk factors	Smoking status (smoking < 10 cigarettes/day (yes/no), smoking > 10 cigarettes/day (yes/no), non-smoking (yes/no), smoking cessation (yes/no)), arterial hypertension status (yes/no), dyslipidaemia status (yes/no) were assessed in medical records.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in health-related quality of life	Health-related quality of life was evaluated by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. In this questionnaire, each domain of health-related quality of life is scored from 0 to 100 (100 points show the best estimate).	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in motivation for physical activity	The motivation for physical activity was evaluated by the Exercise Motivations Inventory-2 (EMI-2). In this questionnaire, the answer to each statement is given on a six-step scale from 0 points ("not at all true for me") to 5 points ("very true for me"). Higher mean scores in the appropriate items of the 14 subscales indicate better result.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in the levels of anxiety and depression	The levels of anxiety and depression were evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, where 8-10 scores indicate mild, 11-14 scores - moderate, and 15-21 scores - severe anxiety or depression.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)
Changes in the levels of self-reported physical activity	The levels of self-reported physical activity (in minutes/week) were measured by using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-sf). Higher values indicate better result.	After 2 months (between 1st and 2nd visit), after 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit), after 8 months (between 1st visit and 3rd visit)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in the levels of objectively measured physical activity	Total duration of physical activity (in minutes) and duration of physical activity divided by the type and timing of workout (in minutes) were measured by the real-time physical activity data received through the smartphone application.	After 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit)
Changes in the number of workouts	Total number of workouts and number of workouts divided by the type and timing of workout were measured by the real-time physical activity data received through the smartphone application.	After 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit)
Changes of compliance to the prescribed exercise in terms of workout duration	The average workout duration (in minutes) was measured by the real-time physical activity data received through the smartphone application. Higher values indicate better compliance.	After 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit)
Changes of compliance to the prescribed exercise in terms of intensity	The proportion (%) of the workout time in prescribed exercise intensity was measured by the real-time physical activity data received through the smartphone application. Higher values indicate better compliance.	After 6 months (between 2nd and 3rd visit)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Vilnius University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Aleksandras Laucevicius, PhD, Clinic of Cardiac and Vascular Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 21, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 31, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 31, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 28, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 19, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 25, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 25, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 19, 2022
• Last Verified: September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Metabolic syndrome; Telemonitoring; Physical activity; mHealth; Smartphone application; Wearables; Cardiovascular prevention; Digital health
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Disease; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome
• Other Study ID Numbers: PFAEV53

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No