Effects of a Mobile-Health Exercise Intervention on Body Composition, Vascular Function, and Autonomic Nervous System Function in Obese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Purpose The present study verified the effect of an m-health exercise intervention using a 12-week exercise program on body composition, vascular function, and the ANS. Patients and Methods Thirty obese adult women participants were randomized (n = 15 each) into the experimental (EXP) group, those who performed mobile-health (m-health) exercises using a wearable device (Charge 4, Fitbit, USA) and AI-fit web page, or the control (CON) group, those who continued their daily activities as before. Muscle function, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility were assessed during the exercise program using the AI-fit web page and wearable device. The EXP group participated in exercise interventions using the m-health system for 12 weeks, while the CON group was encouraged to maintain their normal daily routines. Body composition, vascular function, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) were evaluated before and after the intervention. Results Significant decreases were noted in fat mass (Post - Pre: −1.47 kg; p < 0.001) and percent body fat (Post - Pre: −2.11%; p < 0.05). Flow-mediated dilatation (Post - Pre: 2.63%; p < 0.001) was significantly increased, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (Post - Pre: −91.49 cm·sec −1 ; p < 0.01) was significantly decreased. RMSSD (Post - Pre: 10.43 ms; p < 0.01), NN50 (Post-Pre: 24.04; p < 0.05), pNN50 (Post - Pre: 7.70%; p < 0.05) and HF (Post-Pre: 179.60 ms 2 ; p < 0.05) increased significantly. Conclusion In conclusion, m-health exercise interventions using AI fit and wearable devices are effective in preventing obesity and improving vascular function, and ANS.

Effect of exercise intervention using mobile healthcare on blood lipid level and health-related physical fitness in obese women: a randomized controlled trial

“…Appropriate exercise can prevent obesity and chronic diseases [ 15 ]. With technological advancement, various exercise programs using wearable and mHealth devices are being developed and many studies are being conducted to treat and prevent obesity [ 7 , 17 , 24 , 25 ]. Kusnanto et al [ 22 ] reported that 12 weeks of physical activity and programs using an app improved the TC, TG, and LDL-C levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.…”

“…The EXP group underwent non-face-to-face exercise intervention using mHealth, and the CON was recommended to maintain a routine during the intervention period. The exercise programs in the EXP included resistance (OMNI scale 7–8), aerobics (60–85% of the maximal heart rate [HRmax]), and flexibility (at least 30 s for each movement) [ 7 ]. The resistance exercise consisted of 10 movements and was performed twice a week for 60 min (including 10 min of warm-up, 40 min of the main exercise, and 10 min of cool-down).…”

“…Over third of adults worldwide suffer from obesity, and women have a higher obesity rate than men [ 3 , 6 ]. Obesity negatively affects low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), and triglyceride (TG) levels, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, leading to early death [ 3 , 7 - 10 ].…”

“…Recently, research has been conducted to verify the effectiveness of various exercise intervention programs using mobile health (mHealth), including wearable devices (such as smartphones and smartwatches) and mobile apps [ 7 , 17 , 18 ]. Wearable devices are effective tools for PA and health management as they can easily monitor individual PA and health status [ 7 , 19 ]. Previous studies have shown that moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity using mHealth reduces body weight [ 20 ].…”

Effects of Acute Beetroot Juice Supplementation and Exercise on Cardiovascular Function in Healthy Men in Preliminary Study: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, and Crossover Trial

“…Resting FMD was measured after resting for at least 30 min, and after-exercise FMD was mea-sured within 10 min of the completion of exercise for each trial. The formula used was %FMD = (Maximal diameter [mm] − Resting diameter [mm]/Resting diameter [mm]) × 100 [40].…”