Effect of Text Messaging on Risk Factor Management in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: The CHAT Randomized...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Mobile health (mHealth) offers scalable, low-cost interventions for patient engagement and behavior change.
• Coronary heart disease (CHD) management requires effective secondary prevention strategies.
• Culturally sensitive interventions are crucial for diverse patient populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a culturally sensitive mHealth text messaging intervention for secondary prevention in Chinese patients with CHD.
• To determine if the intervention improves control of cardiovascular risk factors.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, single-blinded randomized controlled trial involving 822 CHD patients in China.
• Intervention group received 6 weekly text messages for 6 months; control group received 2 monthly messages.
• Primary endpoint: change in systolic blood pressure; secondary endpoints: LDL-C, BMI, physical activity, smoking status.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in systolic blood pressure reduction between groups (mean net change -1.3 mm Hg, P=0.221).
• No significant differences observed in LDL-C, BMI, physical activity, or smoking status.
• High patient acceptability: 96.1% found messages useful, 98.8% easy to understand.

Conclusions:

• Text messaging intervention did not significantly improve blood pressure control in CHD patients at 6 months.
• The mHealth intervention demonstrated feasibility and high patient acceptability.
• Further research may explore optimizing text message content and delivery for secondary prevention.