News Summary
The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has received $25 million for a multimodal clinical trial using smartphones to combat heart disease. The groundbreaking study will enroll 18,000 participants nationwide and assess how gamification can encourage increased physical activity to reduce heart attacks and strokes. This innovative, remote approach aims to provide evidence for effective cardiovascular prevention strategies through behavioral economics.
Philadelphia – Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have been awarded a significant $25 million to conduct a groundbreaking, nationwide clinical trial. The study will utilize smartphones to combat heart disease, marking the largest-ever initiative of its kind to evaluate whether consistent increases in physical activity, prompted by gamification, can effectively reduce the incidence of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and related deaths. This six-year endeavor is a collaborative effort with Ascension, a prominent non-profit health system nationwide, and is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Revolutionizing Cardiovascular Prevention Through Technology
The new trial is designed to address a critical gap in cardiovascular prevention: while medical professionals frequently advise increased exercise for better heart health, robust, large-scale randomized trials proving that physical activity directly prevents heart events have been notably absent. This study aims to provide definitive evidence, assessing if a straightforward points system, combined with ongoing behavioral encouragement, can lead to sustained increases in physical activity sufficient to prevent serious cardiac conditions and save lives.
A Nationwide, Remote Study Leveraging Everyday Devices
The study plans to enroll 18,000 adults across the nation who face at least a 1-in-10 likelihood of experiencing a heart attack, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or death from heart disease within the next decade. This risk is calculated using the American Heart Association PREVENT equations. A key feature of the trial is its fully remote design, eliminating the need for any in-person office visits. Participants will simply use the built-in accelerometer technology present in nearly every smartphone, which accurately measures movement and motion.
The process begins with participants establishing a personal baseline step count over a two-week period. Following this, they will be encouraged to increase their daily step count by 33% to 50% above their individual baseline. This increase will be facilitated through a unique game designed using principles of behavioral economics. In this system, participants earn points each week for meeting their daily step goals and lose points on days when they fall short. Their progress through different levels of the game will be based on their accumulated points, fostering ongoing engagement and motivation. This innovative approach builds upon the success of the “BE ACTIVE” trial, published in 2024, which previously demonstrated sustained increases in daily step counts through a similar behavioral economics-based gamification strategy.
Leadership and Potential Impact
The research is being led by prominent experts from Penn Medicine. Dr. Alexander C. Fanaroff, an assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and a core faculty member at the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), highlighted the study’s goal to test whether this simple system can achieve sufficient, sustained physical activity to prevent cardiac events. Dr. Kevin Volpp, Director of the Penn Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics and Mark V. Pauly President’s Distinguished Professor, emphasized that the trial’s extensive size and scope are crucial for determining if behavioral economics can bridge the gap between encouraging movement and actually preventing heart attacks and strokes.
The anticipated results from this landmark trial hold the potential to significantly influence cardiovascular prevention guidelines, reduce mortality rates, enhance the quality of life for countless individuals, and substantially decrease healthcare expenditures. With heart disease remaining the leading cause of death worldwide, such patient-centered outcomes research is vital for improving healthcare decisions and overall public health.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is the main goal of the Penn Researchers’ new trial?
- The main goal of the Penn Researchers’ new trial is to test whether using applied behavioral economics to boost daily steps, via smartphones, can cut heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and deaths from heart disease.
- How much funding did the Penn Researchers receive for this trial?
- The Penn Researchers were awarded $25 million for this trial.
- Which organizations are involved in the trial?
- The trial is being launched at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Ascension, a leading non-profit health system nationwide.
- How will smartphones be used in the trial?
- Smartphones will be used to track movement via built-in accelerometers. Participants will engage in a gamified system where they receive points for meeting daily step goals and lose points for missing goals.
- How many participants will be in this study, and who are they?
- The study will enroll 18,000 adults with at least a 1-in-10 chance of having a heart attack, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, or dying from heart disease within the next decade, as calculated by the American Heart Association PREVENT equations.
- What is the duration of the trial?
- The trial is a six-year study.
- Who is funding the trial?
- The trial is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
- What is the expected impact of this research?
- Results from this landmark trial have the potential to transform cardiovascular prevention guidelines, reduce mortality, improve quality of life, and dramatically lower healthcare costs.
Key Features of the Heart Disease Smartphone Trial
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Funding Amount | $25 million |
| Research Institution | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania |
| Collaborating Partner | Ascension (non-profit health system Nationwide) |
| Funding Source | Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) |
| Study Duration | Six years |
| Number of Participants | 18,000 adults |
| Intervention Method | Smartphone-based gamification using behavioral economics to increase daily steps |
| Primary Goal | To prevent heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, and deaths by increasing physical activity |
| Scope of Study | Nationwide |
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