Effectiveness of web-based personalised e‑Coaching lifestyle interventions

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
• Lifestyle Interventions

Background:

• Modifiable risk factors like hypercholesterolemia, smoking, and overweight significantly contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden.
• Low public awareness of personal CVD risk, coupled with rising obesity and diabetes rates, highlights a critical public health challenge.
• e-Health tools offer a promising avenue for promoting lifestyle changes and mitigating unhealthy behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of MyCLIC, an e-Coaching lifestyle intervention tool, in reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
• To assess the impact of digital lifestyle interventions across different study designs and populations.
• To determine the cost-effectiveness and potential of e-Coaching for widespread CVD risk reduction.

Main Methods:

• Conducted three trials from 2008-2016: HAPPY NL (prospective cohort), HAPPY AZM (prospective cohort), and HAPPY LONDON (randomized controlled trial).
• HAPPY NL and HAPPY AZM involved general populations and employees, respectively, focusing on lifestyle intervention outcomes.
• HAPPY LONDON specifically targeted asymptomatic individuals with a high 10-year CVD risk, assessing e-Coaching effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The HAPPY NL and HAPPY AZM trials demonstrated a significant 20-25% relative reduction in 10-year CVD risk through e-Coaching.
• The HAPPY LONDON trial showed a less pronounced effect, potentially due to lower participant engagement indicated by infrequent logins.
• Lower engagement in HAPPY LONDON may be linked to the older average age of its participants.

Conclusions:

• e-Coaching utilizing the MyCLIC tool provides a cost-effective method for implementing lifestyle interventions.
• The MyCLIC e-Coaching approach has demonstrated potential in reducing the 10-year cardiovascular disease risk.
• Digital health tools can be valuable in addressing public health challenges related to lifestyle and chronic disease prevention.