Innsbruck Health Promotion Program (INNHEALTH)

The primary goal of this single-centre. single-arm, unblinded, pre-post interventional study is to evaluate whether a one-time health assessment and intervention affects the overall vascular health evaluated through the Life's Essential 8 overall vascular health score.

Secondary goals of this study are, among others:

• to describe incidence and prevalence of vascular risk-factors and behaviours
• to explore prevalence and associations of health and disease in the general population with special focus on cardiovascular risk, cardiovascular diseases, markers of vascular health, signs and (prodromal) symptoms of neurodegeneration as well as psychosocial factors
• to explore the prevalence of hearing disorders in the general population
• to collect voice and speech samples to identify novel biomarkers that correlate to vascular health and/or hearing status

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Assessment of Vascular Health Risk Factors
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: In-person health promotion

Detailed Description

Cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases are the leading cause of death and disability globally, underscoring the need for primary prevention, especially given that 80% of stroke patients in Tyrol had untreated risk conditions prior to their stroke.

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) identify eight factors that have a fundamental influence on vascular health, collectively known as "Life's Essential 8" or "LE8." The LE8 includes blood pressure, blood sugar, LDL cholesterol, BMI (Body Mass Index), as well as physical activity, sleep, a balanced diet, and avoiding nicotine products.

The INN.HEALTH study aims to evaluate the impact of a single health examination with counseling, supplemented by bi-monthly motivational newsletters, on improving vascular health over one year among a large cohort of Tyrolean adults. For this purpose, 1000 participants (500 men, 500 women) from various age groups are recruited and comprehensively characterized in terms of their demographic information and clinical profiles.

During the initial baseline pre-examination (study visit 1), blood, urine and stool samples are collected, and selected participants receive an actigraphy device for monitoring activity patterns. Additionally, participants complete self-administered questionnaires about their lifestyle habits. Two weeks post pre-examination (baseline, study visit 2) physical assessments and cognitive and sensory tests are performed. Based on these results the participant's health status in relation to the LE8 factors is assessed and the reduction of identified risk factors is discussed in a counseling session. If certain findings require further clarification, participants are referred to a specialist for further evaluation and treatment.One year after the initial examinations, participants are scheduled for two additional appointments: the first one (study visit 3) is identical to the initial baseline pre-examination, the second one marks the final examination (study visit 4), and is identical to baseline.

Over the 12 months between study visits 2 and 3 participants receive regular newsletters as part of the health promotion program, informing them about vascular health promotion opportunities in the region.

In the final consultation at the end of the final examination visit, participants receive a comprehensive assessment of which aspects of their lifestyle have significantly changed over the past year. Participants are then provided with tailored guidance on further optimizing their vascular health to reduce individual risks of stroke and heart attack.

Secondary objectives of this study include analyzing changes in quality of life, medication compliance, healthcare usage, vascular and cognitive health, as well as identifying risk factors and early markers for neurodegenerative disease, with data collected and periodically reviewed long-term. The study also seeks to establish a regional cohort with a biobank for future research on vascular health, aging, and mitochondrial function, and to explore the feasibility of incorporating hearing screenings into routine health exams

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1000
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Muriel Harloff, MSc; Phone Number: + 43 51255443513; Email: muriel.harloff@vascage.at
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Petr Simurda, MD; Phone Number: + 43 51255443513; Email: petr.simurda@vascage.at

Study Locations

• Austria
  • Innsbruck, Austria
    • Recruiting
    • Medical University Innsbruck - Department of Neurology
    • Contact: Lukas Mayer-Süß, Dr.med.; Phone Number: +43 512 504 83127; Email: lukas.mayer@i-med.ac.at
    • Principal Investigator: Lukas Mayer-Süß, Dr.med.

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Signed informed consent of subject
• Main area of residence in Innsbruck and Innsbruck-Land

Exclusion Criteria:

• People who are suspended upon a court order or upon other legal processes or are accommodated according ot the Hospitalization Act, or for whom a custodian is appointed (or appointment is inititated)
• Persons with impaired power of judgement
• Persons who are currently engaged in military or community service

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Screening
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Health promotion arm; Over a time period of 12 months participants will receive regular newsletters as part of the health promotion program, informing them about vascular health promotion opportunities in the region. At the end of the study participants are provided with tailored guidance on further optimizing their vascular health to reduce individual risks of stroke and heart attack.

Other: In-person health promotion; The results from the initial pre-baseline examination are reviewed during the baseline visit to identify potential risk factors related to the Life's Essential 8 (LE8). Based on these findings, participants receive personalized recommendations to enhance their vascular health and information on local vascular health promotion resources. Additionally, participants receive bi-monthly motivational newsletters designed to support ongoing vascular health improvements.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Life's Essential 8 overall cardiovascular health	Changes in Life's Essential 8 (LE8) overall cardiovascular health metric between baseline and follow-up examination. Scores are categorized as low (0-49), moderate (50-79), or high (80-100). A higher LE8 score indicates better cardiovascular health and is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and mortality.	Pre-baseline examination (day 0)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Diet	Assessment of change in diet using the Food Frequency Questionnaire	At pre-baseline examination (day 0) and at follow-up pre-examination (12 +/- 2 months after baseline)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Diet	Assessment of change in diet using the Mediterranean Eating Pattern for Americans (MEPA) Score. Score minimum 0, score maximum 100. A higher score indicates a diet closely aligned with the mediterranean eating pattern.	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Physical activity	Assessment of change in physical activity with focus on amount and intensity of physical activity	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Nicotine Exposure	Assessment of change in smoking status	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Body weight	Assessment of change in body weight (body mass index, kg)	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Blood lipids	Assessment of change in blood lipid levels: triglyceride (mmol/L), cholesterol (all, mmol/L)	At pre-baseline examination (day 0) and at follow-up pre-examination (12 +/- 2 months after baseline)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Body glucose	Assessment of change in blood glucose levels: fasting glucose (mg/dL, mmol/L)	At pre-baseline examination (day 0) and at follow-up pre-examination (12 +/- 2 months after baseline)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Blood glucose	Assessment of changes in blood glucose levels: HbA1c (%)	At pre-baseline examination (day 0) and at follow-up pre-examination (12 +/- 2 months after baseline)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Blood pressure	Assessment of change in blood pressure (systolic/diastolic, mmHg)	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Sleep	Assessment of change in sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index	At pre-baseline examination (day 0) and at follow-up pre-examination (12 +/- 2 months after baseline)
Changes in individual components of Life's Essential 8 - Sleep	Assessment of change in sleep habits	At baseline (day 14) and at follow-up (2 weeks after follow-up pre-examination)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: VASCage GmbH
• Collaborators: Med-El Corporation; Tirol Kiniken GmbH; Oroboros Instruments; Österreichische Gesundheitskasse
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dr.med. Lukas Mayer-Süß, PhD, Medical University of Innsbruck

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 13, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): February 7, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 19, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 18, 2025
• Last Verified: November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Quality of Life; Hearing impairment; Mitochondrial function; Life's Essential 8; PBMC; Cardiovascular health
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Sensation Disorders; Ear Diseases; Hearing Disorders; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Hearing Loss
• Other Study ID Numbers: C_2_A.2-0062_012

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No