Adherence to and Engagement With an mHealth Physical Activity Intervention After Mild Stroke or Transient Ischemic...

Regular physical activity is a crucial and an important modifiable lifestyle factor reducing the risk of recurrent incidents after stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Mobile health (mHealth) has emerged as a promising approach for providing long-term support for physical activity. However, little is known about how individuals poststroke or TIA adhere to and engage with mHealth interventions.

This study aimed to (1) describe adherence to supervised sessions in an mHealth intervention targeting physical activity, (2) describe engagement with self-managed mHealth support for physical activity during and after the intervention, (3) compare characteristics of participants with high and low adherence and app engagement, and (4) examine whether high adherence and app engagement were associated with maintained physical activity after having completed the intervention and at a 12-month follow-up.

In this study, a secondary analysis of data from the experimental arm of a feasibility randomized controlled trial was conducted. The experimental group received a 6-month mHealth version of the i-REBOUND intervention, which included supervised mHealth support for physical activity and behavior change, followed by a 6-month postintervention period with access to self-managed mHealth support. The control group received mHealth consultations via video conferencing. Adherence measures included attendance at supervised exercise and counseling sessions, while app engagement was measured by weekly interactions with self-managed mHealth support during and after the intervention. Participants' level of physical activity (steps per day) was measured using accelerometers at baseline, and at 6- and 12-month postbaseline. Logistic regression analysis examined the associations between high adherence and app engagement during the intervention and postintervention period and maintained physical activity (ie, >7000 steps/day) across the 12-month study period.

Of the 57 participants enrolled, 51 (89%) completed the intervention; the average age was 71 years, 34/51 (67%) were female, and 47/51 (92%) had mild stroke symptoms. Adherence to supervised mHealth support was high (supervised exercise sessions: 79%, counseling sessions: 98%), while engagement with self-managed mHealth support was high during the intervention (83%) but declined postintervention (38%). A larger proportion of females (24/31, 77%) demonstrated high adherence to the intervention compared to males (7/31, 23%, χ²1=4.1; P=.04). High adherence (≥80%) during the intervention was associated with maintained physical activity between baseline and the 6-month follow-up (OR 12.07, 95% CI 2-72.76; P=.01), while high app engagement (≥80%) during postintervention was associated with maintained physical activity between the 6- and 12-month follow-up (OR 5.10, 95% CI 1.02-25.52; P=.05).

Supervised mHealth support was well received with high adherence, while modules for self-management of physical activity faced challenges in engaging the participants. Future studies could benefit from qualitative and cocreative approaches to better understand and refine self-managed mHealth support for individuals poststroke or TIA.