Healthy hearts healthy minds: A randomized trial of online interventions to improve physical activity.

INTRODUCTION: Depressed individuals are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those without depression. People with CVD have higher rates of depression than those without and have higher mortality rates if they have comorbid depression. While physical activity (PA) improves both, few people engage in enough. We compared self-guided internet-based cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) + Fitbit or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) + Fitbit, with Fitbit only to increase daily steps for participants with depression who have low PA. METHODS: Adult participants (N = 340) were recruited from two online patient-powered research networks and randomized to one of three study interventions for 8 weeks with an additional 8 weeks of follow-up. Using linear mixed effects models, we evaluated the effect of the intervention on average daily steps (NCT03373110). RESULTS: Average daily steps increased 2.8 steps per day in MBCT+Fitbit, 2.9 steps/day in CBT + Fitbit, but decreased 8.2 steps/day in Fitbit Only. These changes were not statistically different between the MBCT+Fitbit and CBT + Fitbit groups, but were different from Fitbit Only across the initial 8-week period. Group differences were not maintained across follow-up. Exploratory analyses identified comorbid anxiety disorders, self-reported PA, and employment status as moderators. DISCUSSION: Changes in daily steps over both 8- and 16-week periods-regardless of intervention group-were minimal. The results emphasize the limits of using self-guided web-based psychotherapy with an activity tracker to increase PA in participants with a history of depression and low PA.

An online intervention for increasing physical activity in individuals with mood disorders at risk for cardiovascular disease: Design considerations.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity can mitigate the risk of cardiovascular diseases, but the presence of mood disorders makes it challenging to follow or develop a regular exercise habit. We conducted an online comparative effectiveness study (Healthy Hearts Healthy Minds) to evaluate whether an online psychosocial intervention adjunctive to an activity monitor (Fitbit) can improve adherence to physical activity among individuals with mood disorders who have or are at-risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: In this paper, we explore design considerations (including both procedural challenges and achievements) of relevance to our study. RESULTS: Challenges of this study included navigating a complex IRB review process, integrating two study platforms, automating study procedures, and optimizing participant engagement. Achievements of this study included building trust with collaborators, leveraging existing online communities, generating daily data reports, and conducting patient-centered research. LIMITATIONS: These design considerations are based on a single online comparative effectiveness study, and other online intervention studies may be presented with other unique challenges that are specific to their study format or aims. Consistent with some of the generalizability challenges facing other online studies, participants in this study were overall highly educated (most had at least a college degree). CONCLUSIONS: We successfully conducted a large-scale virtual online intervention to increase physical activity of participants with comorbid mood and cardiovascular disorders by overcoming substantial operational and technical challenges. We hope that this exploration of design considerations in the context of our online study can inform upcoming online intervention studies.

Primary nonadherence to statin medications: Survey of patient perspectives.

Statin medications reduce cardiovascular events, but many patients never start taking their prescribed statin (primary nonadherence). Limited knowledge exists about the attitudes and beliefs of those with primary nonadherence. In this study, patients with primary nonadherence to statin medications (n = 173) completed a self-administered cross-sectional survey that assessed their attitudes and beliefs related to primary nonadherence and to potential motivators for statin use. Patients were recruited in 2019 from two academic health systems and nationwide internet advertisements. Only 49 of 173 (28.3%) patients with primary nonadherence reported having cardiovascular disease (CVD). Ninety-nine patients (57.2%) never filled their prescription, and 74 (42.8%) filled but never took any statin. Over half failed to initially inform their prescriber they might not take the statin. Patients strongly or somewhat agreed that they desired alternate treatment plans such as diet and/or exercise (n = 134; 77.4%) or natural remedies/dietary supplements (n = 125; 72.3%). Ninety-eight (56.6%) stronglyor somewhat worried about the possibility of statin dependence or addiction. Twenty-seven (15.6%) patients noted that they would not take a statin based solely on CVD risk estimates; 50 (28.9%) selected a CVD risk threshold of >20%; and 23 (13.3%) a threshold of >50% as motivating factors to take statins. Patients with primary nonadherence have attitudes about taking statins based on CVD risk that differ from scientific recommendations, may not tell providers about their hesitation to take statins, and likely prefer alternative initial approaches to cholesterol lowering. Early shared decision-making and assessment of patient attitudes about statins could potentially better align initial approaches for CVD risk reduction.