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Effectiveness of a Mobile Health Exercise Program for Adults With Mobility Disabilities: A Randomised Controlled
Jereme Wilroy1, Yumi Kim1, Tapan Mehta2
1Department of Physical Therpay, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.
Background:
People with mobility disabilities experience significant barriers to regular physical activity, increasing risks of chronic disease and reducing quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) programs may help by offering accessible, home-based exercise options. This study compared a 24-week mHealth intervention-with and without social networking-to an attention control condition.
Methods:
In this type 1 hybrid randomized controlled trial, 459 adults with mobility disabilities were randomized to one of three groups: M2M (exercise videos), M2Mplus (exercise videos plus social networking and optional coaching), or attention control (health articles). The 24-week intervention was delivered via a tablet-based app with follow-up through 48 weeks. The primary outcome was the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ) health contribution score, measured at baseline, 12, 24, and 48 weeks.
Results:
At the 24-week primary endpoint, the M2Mplus group showed significantly greater increases in GLTEQ health contribution scores compared with attention control (LSM=4.8; 95% CI 1.7-7.8; P=.002). By 48 weeks, the difference was no longer statistically significant.
Discussion:
This large hybrid trial shows that scalable mHealth exercise programs can increase short-term physical activity among adults with mobility disabilities, though sustaining activity after the intervention ends remains challenging.
