news release

Sunday, April 7, 2024

NIH-supported study shows certain benefits may encourage long-term behavioral changes in adults at risk for cardiovascular disease

Adults at risk for heart disease who received daily reminders and incentives to be more active increased their daily step count by more than 1,500 steps after one year, and many maintained their new habits six months later. A study supported by a national research institute revealed that this was the case.Health published in Circulation.

This improvement, which also resulted in an additional 40 minutes of moderate exercise each week, was associated with a 6% lower risk of premature death and a 10% lower risk of cardiovascular-related death compared to data from previous studies. It is correlated with The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, such as fast cycling, or a combination of the two twice a week. We recommend that you do so. -Weekly strength training.

Researchers found that while simple daily reminders are effective at getting people to move more, offering point-based rewards such as financial incentives or games is even more effective. did. However, we found that combining the two incentives was most effective. The participant who received both continued to record increased activity levels six months after the rewards were stopped.

Dr Alison Brown said: ‘Even moderate exercise can significantly reduce cardiovascular risk, so finding low-cost ways to keep people active and on track with home-based fitness programs is a huge win for public health. “It will be.” RD is a program officer at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the NIH.

The study was conducted between 2019 and 2024. Researchers followed more than 1,000 adults at high risk for major cardiovascular events. All participants received a wearable fitness tracker that connected to an online health portal and allowed researchers to count their daily baseline steps. Participants then set a goal to increase their daily step count by 33%, 40%, 50%, or at least 1,500 steps from their starting point. After setting goals, participants were randomly assigned to one of her four groups.

Three groups offered incentives such as game-like rewards, monetary rewards, or a combination of the two. In the gaming group, each participant received points each week and maintained them by meeting daily step goals. I lost points on days I didn’t reach my goal. Participants who earn enough points will move up in level, and those who fail to reach their goals will move down in level. Family and friends can act as the participant’s “support crew” and receive weekly updates on the participant’s progress. At the end of the study, adults who reached the highest level by meeting their daily step goal were awarded a trophy. In the financial group, each participant received $14 each week, but she lost $2 per day if she failed to meet her step goal. The third group received a game-like financial incentive.

The fourth group (control group) received no incentives, but received a fitness tracker and daily messages to record their steps. Each intervention lasted for 12 months, followed by a 6-month follow-up period in which all participants received the same information as controls.

Before the study began, participants in all groups logged an average of about 5,000 steps, or 2.4 miles, each day. After 12 months, they increased his daily step count by more than 1,500, or three-quarters of a mile.

Compared to the control group, the group that received gaming incentives walked 538 more steps than baseline, while the group that received financial incentives walked 492 more steps. The group that received both incentives took an average of 868 more steps and maintained an average of 576 more steps each day. 6 months later. Adults who received the single intervention maintained increases in physical activity, but the increases were not significantly different from the average 1,200 additional steps taken by those in the control group over the first 18 months of the study.

Still, “the intervention had immediate benefits for participants and was effective,” said study author Alexander C., a behavioral change expert, interventional cardiologist, and assistant professor in the Department of Cardiology. said Fanaroff, MD. University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia. “Studies show that to maintain long-term heart health, think more about today than about the future, such as increasing your physical activity and saving for future goals like college or retirement.” We know it’s easier.”

The researchers said that people looking to change their behavior, especially when it comes to exercise, can focus on the same principles used in the study, which produced immediate benefits and rewards from exercise. . For example, there are exercise apps that offer daily reminders and rewards when you reach your personal health goals, allow you to ask family and friends for support, and even give you money by donating money if you don’t reach your goals. You can also create a scenario where you lose it. Health systems and organizations can also use tactics to help patients increase their physical activity levels in research. This research was supported by NHLBI grant R61/R33HL141440.

reference: Fanaroff AC, Patel MS, Chokshi N, et al. Effects of gamification, financial incentives, or both to increase physical activity in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events: BE ACTIVE randomized controlled trial. circle. 2024; doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.069531.

About the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): NHLBI is a world leader in conducting and supporting research into heart, lung, and blood diseases and sleep disorders that advances scientific knowledge, improves public health, and saves lives. For more information, please visit https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):The nation’s medical research agency, NIH, has 27 institutes and centers and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, please visit www.nih.gov.

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