Understanding how engagement in mobile health (mHealth) weight loss interventions relates to weight change may help develop effective intervention strategies.
Hypertension is the most common condition seen in primary care and leads to myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and death if not detected early and treated appropriately. Patients want to be assured that blood pressure (BP) treatment will reduce their disease burden, while clinicians want guidance on hypertension management using the best scientific evidence. This report takes a rigorous, evidence-based approach to recommend treatment thresholds, goals, and medications in the management of hypertension in adults. Evidence was drawn from randomized controlled trials, which represent the gold standard for determining efficacy and effectiveness. Evidence quality and recommendations were graded based on their effect on important outcomes. There is strong evidence to support treating hypertensive persons aged 60 years or older to a BP goal of less than 150/90 mm Hg and hypertensive persons 30 through 59 years of age to a diastolic goal of less than 90 mm Hg; however, there is insufficient evidence in hypertensive persons younger than 60 years for a systolic goal, or in those younger than 30 years for a diastolic goal, so the panel recommends a BP of less than 140/90 mm Hg for those groups based on expert opinion. The same thresholds and goals are recommended for hypertensive adults with diabetes or nondiabetic chronic kidney disease (CKD) as for the general hypertensive population younger than 60 years. There is moderate evidence to support initiating drug treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, angiotensin receptor blocker, calcium channel blocker, or thiazide-type diuretic in the nonblack hypertensive population, including those with diabetes. In the black hypertensive population, including those with diabetes, a calcium channel blocker or thiazide-type diuretic is recommended as initial therapy. There is moderate evidence to support initial or add-on antihypertensive therapy with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker in persons with CKD to improve kidney outcomes. Although this guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the management of high BP and should meet the clinical needs of most patients, these recommendations are not a substitute for clinical judgment, and decisions about care must carefully consider and incorporate the clinical characteristics and circumstances of each individual patient.
Introduction Clinical trials often enroll nonrepresentative participant samples, limiting generalizability of trial findings. The current analysis explores the influences of remote recruitment and screening protocols on participation in a digital health intervention (DHI) to promote the evidence-based Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating pattern. Methods Nourish was a 12-month randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of a DHI to an attention control arm among US adults with hypertension. Participants were recruited using digital approaches; eligible individuals completed several screening steps. We examined associations between sociodemographics and mobile technology use and completion of each screening step and compared those characteristics between randomized and nonrandomized participants (those consented but were screened out before randomization). Results A total of 678 adults consented to participate in Nourish; 44% of those consented were randomized ( n = 301). Those randomized possessed a higher education level ( p < 0.0001); were more likely to use health-related apps ( p < 0.0001) and wearables ( p < 0.0001); and were older ( p = 0.01) than nonrandomized individuals. Randomized adults were more likely to use a desktop/laptop/tablet for Internet access (vs mobile phones) ( p = 0.01). No significant association was observed existed between sex, race, ethnicity, income, or geographic density of residence and subsequent randomization. Conclusions Participants with lower education levels or limited experience in using mobile technologies may require additional support to participate in DHIs. Future research is needed to evaluate remote clinical trial procedures and impacts on generalizability to achieve equitable clinical trial participation.
Background: Initial findings from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-Sodium Trial demonstrated that reduction of sodium intake in two different diets decreased blood pressure in participants with and without hypertension. Objective: To determine effects on blood pressure of reduced sodium intake and the DASH diet in additional subgroups. Design: Randomized feeding study. Setting: Four clinical centers and a coordinating center. Participants: 412 adults with untreated systolic blood pressure of 120 to 160 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure of 80 to 95 mm Hg. Intervention: Participants followed the DASH diet or a control (typical U.S.) diet for three consecutive 30-day feeding periods, during which sodium intake (50, 100, and 150 mmol/d at 2100 kcal) varied according to a randomly assigned sequence. Body weight was maintained. Measurements: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Results: In all subgroups, the DASH diet and reduced sodium intake were each associated with significant decreases in blood pressure; these two factors combined produced the greatest reductions. Among nonhypertensive participants who received the control diet, lower (vs. higher) sodium intake decreased blood pressure by 7.0/3.8 mm Hg in those older than 45 years of age (P < 0.001) and by 3.7/1.5 mm Hg in those 45 years of age or younger (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The DASH diet plus reduced sodium intake is recommended to control blood pressure in diverse subgroups.
Objective The goal of the present study was to deconstruct the 17 treatment arms used in the Early Adult Reduction of weight through LifestYle (EARLY) weight management trials. Methods Intervention materials were coded to reflect behavioral domains and behavior change techniques (BCTs) within those domains planned for each treatment arm. The analytical hierarchy process was employed to determine an emphasis profile of domains in each intervention. Results The intervention arms used BCTs from all of the 16 domains, with an average of 29.3 BCTs per intervention arm. All 12 of the interventions included BCTs from the six domains of Goals and Planning, Feedback and Monitoring, Social Support, Shaping Knowledge, Natural Consequences, and Comparison of Outcomes; 11 of the 12 interventions shared 15 BCTs in common across those six domains. Conclusions Weight management interventions are complex. The shared set of BCTs used in the EARLY trials may represent a core intervention that could be studied to determine the required emphases of BCTs and whether additional BCTs add to or detract from efficacy. Deconstructing interventions will aid in reproducibility and understanding of active ingredients.