Rubinstein A, Miranda J, et al, 2016

26653067

Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention to improve the cardiometabolic profile of people with prehypertension in low-resource urban settings in Latin America: a randomised controlled trial.

Rubinstein A, Miranda J, Beratarrechea A, Diez-Canseco F, Kanter R, Gutierrez L, Bernabé-Ortiz A, Irazola V, Fernandez A, Letona P, Martínez H, Ramirez-Zea M

Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology

2016

4

1

52-63

Randomized Controlled Trial

Some concerns

Eligible participants (aged 30–60 years) had systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mm Hg, or both. Eligible participants could not be taking antihypertensive drugs, had to own a mobile phone for personal use, and were able to read and understand text messages in Spanish.

Pregnant women, people who were illiterate, and people with previous diagnosis or treatment of hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease were excluded.

We aimed to investigate whether mHealth that included monthly counselling phone calls and customised text messages containing advice for lifestyle modification could reduce blood pressure and prevent progression to hypertension, promote weight loss, and improve diet quality and physical activity in adults with prehypertension living in low-resource urban settings in Argentina, Guatemala, and Peru.

Study personnel responsible for collecting data and data managers responsible for analysing data were masked to the intervention assignment. Group allocation was concealed from study personnel assessing the outcomes and data managers by generating lists of participants with masked code numbers. Electronic logs were used to monitor allocation concealment.

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Lima, Peru

Government, Industry

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH), Medtronic Foundation

NCT01295216