Using a smartphone app in changing cardiovascular risk factors: A randomized controlled trial (EVIDENT II study)

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Digital Health Interventions
• Public Health

Background:

• Mobile health applications are increasingly prevalent for health improvement.
• Research on the effectiveness of these apps on cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) is limited.
• This study addresses the gap by evaluating app integration with standard lifestyle counseling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a smartphone application, combined with standard counseling, on CVRFs.
• To evaluate changes in hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and overall cardiovascular risk.
• To compare outcomes between a group receiving counseling plus an app and a group receiving counseling only.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial involving 833 participants.
• Participants were assigned to either a counseling plus app group (IG) or a counseling only group (CG).
• Outcomes were measured at 3 and 12 months, focusing on changes in CVRFs and estimated cardiovascular risk.

Main Results:

• No significant changes in overall cardiovascular risk were observed at 3 or 12 months between groups.
• The counseling only group showed a statistically significant improvement in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides at 12 months compared to the app group.
• Specific results favored the control group for SBP, DBP, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Conclusions:

• Integrating a mobile application with standard counseling for diet and physical activity does not offer additional long-term benefits for improving CVRFs.
• The findings suggest that current mobile health interventions may not enhance traditional lifestyle modification programs.
• Further research is needed to understand the role and design of effective digital health tools for cardiovascular disease prevention.