Using AI Text Messaging to Improve AHA's Life's Essential 8 Health Behaviors

Summary

The goal of our pragmatic clinical trial is to compare how well three different strategies might do to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients experiencing health disparities. The three different strategies are: 1) text messages, 2) interactive chatbot messages, and 3) chatbot messages with proactive pharmacist support. To measure cardiovascular risk factors, the investigators are using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) factors-blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, physical activity, body mass index, diet, and smoking.

This study focuses on improving cardiovascular risk factors for individuals facing health disparities, such as ethnic minorities, limited English proficiency, and low-income groups. These groups are more likely to be seriously affected by cardiovascular diseases. Self-management, or an individual's roles in managing their own chronic disease, includes lifestyle changes, medication adherence. Improving patients' self-management has been shown to improve health behaviors, better disease control and improved patient outcomes.

The main question this study aims to answer is if one of the strategies (texting, chatbot, or chatbot with pharmacist support) may improve patient self-management and patient outcomes.

The investigators will enroll up to 2,100 patients from three health systems that serve large populations experiencing health disparities: Denver Health, Salud Family Health Centers, and STRIDE Community Health Center.

The results might help researchers and health care systems find the best ways to involve patients with health disparities to managing their chronic cardiovascular disease.

Conditions

• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Lifestyle Factors

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Generic text messages

The same unidirectional text message will be sent each week for 9 weeks.

BEHAVIORAL

Interactive AI chatbot text messaging

Each week for 9 weeks, patients will be sent four messages that are specific to the LE8 topic for that week and with each message, they will be invited to engage with the chatbot to ask more questions about that topic. The first message of the week will be informational about the topic consistent with how the AHA provides information: 1) to understand readings and levels, 2) to encourage people to track levels, and 3) to offer specific skills building strategies. The fourth message will ask them to report out on short term (i.e., things they can do that week) plans for self-management for that topic and again invite their engagement with the chatbot to reinforce support for their plans.

BEHAVIORAL

Proactive pharmacist support

Pharmacists that will proactively facilitate effective engagement with patients.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Colorado, Denver

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• P. Michael Ho, MD PhD · University of Colorado, Denver

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

89 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-02-26

Primary Completion

2028-02-29

Completion

2028-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations