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A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Using an online, personalized program reduces cardiovascular risk factor profiles in a motivated, adherent population
R Jay Widmer1, Thomas G Allison1, Brendie Keane2
1Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic and College of Medicine, Rochester, MN.
Insights
An online workplace health program effectively reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in employees. This intervention shows promise for improving employee health and managing CVD risks through digital tools.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
- Digital Health Interventions
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of illness, death, and healthcare costs.
- Workplace health programs (WHPs) and web-based tools are emerging for health monitoring.
- Online technologies for improving workplace CVD health remain largely unproven.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that a comprehensive online WHP can be successfully implemented.
- To determine if such a program can improve cardiovascular health in employees.
- To assess the effectiveness of a web-based personal health assistant for CVD risk reduction.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 1,602 employees in Tennessee underwent baseline health risk assessments.
- 836 employees not meeting 5 healthy benchmarks were enrolled in a web-based personal health assistant program.
- Repeat measurements were taken at 90 days for participants completing the program.
Main Results:
- A significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, and glucose was observed.
- Participants showed significant decreases in weight and body mass index.
- The 10-year Framingham cardiovascular risk score was significantly reduced (P = .003).
Conclusions:
- An online workplace health program offers a viable method for improving CVD risk factors.
- This digital intervention demonstrates potential for enhancing employee cardiovascular health.
- The study supports the use of online WHPs for managing and mitigating CVD risks in the workplace.
Background:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and cost in Western society. Employer-sponsored work health programs (WHPs) and Web-based portals for monitoring and providing guidance based on participants' health risk assessments are emerging, yet online technologies to improve CVD health in the workplace are relatively unproven. We hypothesized that an online WHP, comprehensively addressing multiple facets of CVD, can be successfully implemented and improve the health of participants.
Methods:
A cohort of employees in Tennessee (n = 1,602) was subjected to a health risk assessment at baseline. Those who did not meet all 5 healthy benchmarks (n = 836)-body mass index, blood pressure, glucose, total cholesterol, and smoking status-were prospectively assigned to a Web-based personal health assistant and had repeat measurements taken at 90 days.
Results:
Of those who both completed the personal health assistant program and underwent baseline plus 90-day assessments (508/836, 61%), 75% were female, mean age was 46.5 ± 11.1 years, and the mean number of risk factors at baseline was 1.1 ± 0.9 with a mean 10-year Framingham Risk Score of 2.9%. This cohort demonstrated a significant reduction in total cholesterol (P < .0001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < .0001), triglycerides (P < .0001), systolic blood pressure (P = .009), glucose (P = .004), weight (P = .001), and body mass index (P = .001). Most of the participants improved at least 1 risk factor. Framingham Risk 10-year cardiovascular risk percentages were significantly reduced (P = .003).
Conclusions:
This study in a prospective cohort of community-dwelling employees suggests that an online WHP can provide a viable means to improve surrogates of CVD risk factors.
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