A Novel Digital Tool Physicians Can Use to Prescribe Exercise to Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Summary

The investigators will conduct a feasibility and pilot efficacy randomized controlled trial to test the usability and user satisfaction of an evidence-based digital health tool the investigators developed for physicians to use to Prioritize Personalize Prescribe EXercise (P3-EX) to patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The investigators will recruit 24 physicians from two local hospitals in CT, USA. Physicians will recruit two patients each (N=48) having CVD risk factors. Physicians will deliver a P3-EX exercise prescription (ExRx) to one of their patients (n=24) and the American College of Sports Medicine Physical Activity Vital Sign (ACSM-PAVS) ExRx to the other (n=24) in a random sequence crossover design. Physicians and patients will rate the feasibility and acceptability of each method using validated questionnaires. Patients will perform their prescribed ExRx for 12 weeks and complete a self-report exercise diary to monitor exercise adherence with virtual oversight from University of Connecticut (UConn) Graduate Research Assistants. Before and after the exercise intervention, the investigators will measure patient CVD risk factors and physical activity (PA) levels via accelerometry. The primary aim is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of P3-EX for physicians to use to prescribe exercise to patients with CVD risk factors, and the secondary aim is to explore the preliminary efficacy of P3-EX to improve patient CVD risk factors, PA levels, and exercise adherence. The investigators hypothesize P3-EX will be feasible for physicians to use to prescribe customized exercise routines for patients with CVD risk factors, and physicians and patients will be satisfied with P3-EX.

Conditions

• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Obesity
• Cardiovascular Disease

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Experimental - 12 Week P3-EX Unsupervised Exercise Program with Virtual Weekly Oversight from Graduate Research Assistants

UConn Graduate Research Assistants will provide patients with virtual weekly oversight to follow their P3-EX unsupervised exercise program for 12 weeks. Patients will choose the location and the FITT of exercise they prefer. UConn Graduate Research Assistants will provide all patients with a 12-week exercise program information packet containing progressive FITT exercise recommendations for their exercise program. Patients will use an exercise diary called the Timeline Followback for Exercise to record the FITT of exercise daily. Patients will attend two virtual study visits led by UConn Graduate Research Assistants during the first week and midway through the intervention to receive standardized guidance on how they are doing following their exercise program. UConn Graduate Research Assistants will email all patients weekly to provide their progressive FITT exercise recommendations and summary reports of their Timeline Followback for Exercise recordings.

BEHAVIORAL

Active Control - 12 Week ACSM-PAVS Unsupervised Exercise Program with Virtual Weekly Oversight from Graduate Research Assistants

University of Connecticut (UConn) Graduate Research Assistants will provide patients with virtual weekly oversight to follow their ACSM-PAVS unsupervised exercise program for 12 weeks. Patients will choose the location and the FITT of exercise they prefer. UConn Graduate Research Assistants will provide all patients with a 12-week exercise program information packet containing progressive FITT exercise recommendations for their exercise program. Patients will use an exercise diary called the Timeline Followback for Exercise to record the FITT of exercise daily. Patients will attend two virtual study visits led by UConn Graduate Research Assistants during the first week and midway through the intervention to receive standardized guidance. UConn Graduate Research Assistants will email all patients weekly to provide their progressive FITT exercise recommendations and summary reports of their Timeline Followback for Exercise recordings.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hartford HealthCare

  collaborator OTHER

• UConn Health

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Connecticut

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Linda S Pescatello, PhD · Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut

• Antonio B Fernandez, MD · Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Hartford Hospital

• Gregory Panza, PhD · Department of Research Administration, Hartford HealthCare

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

64 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-03-30

Primary Completion

2026-05-31

Completion

2026-05-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations