Todd M Manini, Stephen D Anton, Lisa M Roberts, Byron C Jaeger, Liliana C Baptista, Sara A Harper, Anna K Gardner, Elizabeth A Jackson, Dorothy Pekmezi, Bhanuprasad Sandesara, Thomas W Buford
Journal: Clinical interventions in aging 2020;14():1817-1828
PMID: 31695350
Older adults often spend a large amount of time sitting, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Regular physical activity, including both structured exercise and everyday movement such as walking or standing more often, may help reduce this risk. Wearable technologies, such as activity trackers, can provide feedback and reminders that encourage people to move more during the day. This randomised control trial was conducted to explore whether wearable technology could help older adults reduce sedentary behaviour and support cardiovascular health.
The results showed that the intervention was feasible and safe, with participants generally able to follow the exercise programme and use the wearable devices. The group using wearable technology demonstrated increased daily movement and reduced sedentary time compared with the exercise-only group. These findings suggest that wearable devices may help support behavioural changes that encourage more regular movement throughout the day.
In conclusion, combining structured exercise with wearable technology may help older adults reduce sedentary behaviour and improve lifestyle habits linked to cardiovascular health. Healthcare professionals may use wearable devices as a supportive tool to encourage increased physical activity and reduce sedentary time in older adults at risk of CVD.
BACKGROUND
Physical exercise is associated with decreased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but recent large-scale trials suggest that exercise alone is insufficient to reduce CVD events in high-risk older adults.
PURPOSE
This pilot randomized clinical trial aimed to collect critical data on feasibility, safety, and protocol integrity necessary to design a fully powered randomized controlled trial (RCT) and evaluate the impact of combining structured exercise with an intervention designed to enhance non-exercise physical activity (EX+NEPA) compared to EX alone.
METHODS
Forty participants aged ≥60 years with moderate-to-high risk of coronary heart disease events were randomly assigned to either the EX+NEPA or EX groups and followed for 20 weeks. Both groups underwent a twice-weekly, 8-week center-based exercise intervention with aerobic and resistance exercises. EX+NEPA group also received a wearable activity tracking device along with behavioral monitoring and feedback throughout the study. Study outcomes were evaluated at 8 and 20 weeks.
RESULTS
Data are presented as adjusted mean change of the differences over time with 95% confidence intervals at 20 weeks. Relative to EX, the change in steps/day at 20 weeks was 1994 (-40.27, 4028) higher for EX+NEPA. For sedentary time at close-out, the EX+NEPA group was -6.8 (-45.2, 31.6) min/day relative to EX. The between-group differences for systolic and diastolic blood pressure were -9.9 (-19.6, -0.3) and -1.8 (-6.9, 3.3) mmHg, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The addition of wearable technology intervention appeared to positively influence daily activity patterns and changes in blood pressure - potentially improving risk factors for CVD. A fully powered randomized trial is needed to ultimately test this hypothesis.
© 2019 Roberts et al.
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