Key result
Smartwatch-guided community cardiac rehabilitation increases weekly physical activity by ~19 minutes versus standard care.
Why the study?
Community-based cardiac rehabilitation programs have emerged to improve access and participation beyond hospital settings, but their effectiveness in enhancing physical activity and function among CVD patients requires evaluation.
Does a 12-week community-based cardiac rehabilitation program incorporating smartwatch monitoring and social media support improve physical activity, physical function, and frailty in pre-frail or frail patients with cardiovascular disease?
Does a 12-week community-based cardiac rehabilitation program incorporating smartwatch monitoring and social media support improve physical activity, physical function, and frailty in pre-frail or frail patients with cardiovascular disease?
A community-based cardiac rehabilitation program utilizing smartwatch monitoring and social media support effectively increased physical activity duration and improved physical performance and frailty scores in outpatients with cardiovascular disease.
May support smartwatch-guided rehab for activity in CVD outpatients; leaves open confirmation in randomized trials.
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be a leading cause of mortality, functional decline, and healthcare burden worldwide. Community-based cardiac rehabilitation programs (CCRPs) have emerged as an alternative approach to improve access to rehabilitation services and increase patient participation beyond hospital settings.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a CCRP in improving physical activity (PA) and physical function among patients with CVD.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted between July and November 2024 at the Cardiovascular and Brain Center (CVBC) of a referral hospital in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Initially, 56 outpatient cardiac patients were allocated by time cluster to either the intervention or control group to reduce the risk of contamination between participants. Following per-protocol analysis, 48 participants were included in the final evaluation (intervention, n=20; control, n=28). Participants in the CCRP group received a 12-week intervention consisting of smartwatch-guided exercise training, nutritional counseling, and social media–based support. Outcomes included PA assessed using the Mi Fitness application, physical function measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and frailty evaluated using the Kihon Checklist (KCL). Results: Compared with the control group, participants in the CCRP group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in moderate-intensity PA (P=0.004), vigorous-intensity PA (P=0.002), sitting time (P=0.038), metabolic equivalent task scores for moderate activity (P=0.003), and overall PA levels (P<0.001). Functional outcomes also improved significantly, as reflected by higher SPPB scores (P=0.006) and lower frailty scores (P=0.031).Conclusion: A 12-week CCRP incorporating smartwatch monitoring, nutritional counseling, and social media support effectively improved PA, physical function, and frailty status among patients with CVD. This community-based approach may represent a feasible and sustainable strategy for expanding cardiac rehabilitation services in resource-constrained settings.
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Lainsamputty et al. (2026) studied Cardiovascular disease with pre-frailty or frailty (n=48). Community-based cardiac rehabilitation program (CCRP) vs. Standard medical care was evaluated on Total physical activity duration (minutes/week) (MD -18.57, 95% CI -27.59 to -9.56, p=<0.001). A 12-week community-based cardiac rehabilitation program integrating smartwatch monitoring significantly increased total physical activity (MD -18.57 minutes/week, control vs CCRP) compared to standard care.
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