Abstract
Objective: Motivationally-tailored intervention for lifestyle modification based on accurate evaluation of individual lifestyles plays a pivotal role in creating personalized strategies for the prevention of atherosclerotic disease. We developed a telemedicine program comprising self-monitoring of physical activity (using a pedometer) , blood pressure, body weight and its composition by means of health sensors. Measurement records are regularly uploaded to our server via the internet or cellular phone. After analyzing the data, we provide persons taking our program with monthly feedback of the results.
Methods: We conducted a pilot study of 20 volunteers living in Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost part of Japan, using the telemedicine system we developed. The average age of the subjects (both sexes) was 53.8 ± 11.2 years.
Results: In two months, 7 subjects saw an increase in their physical activity as indicated by an increase in the daily average number of steps from 7,177 to 8,026 and time spent doing exercises of 4 METS or more per day increased from an average of 19.3 to 22.5 minutes. The monthly average diastolic blood pressure for these 7 subjects decreased by 2.5 mmHg (p=0.09), which corresponded to their increased physical activity.
Conclusions: The pilot study demonstrated the potential beneficial effects of increased physical activity. Based on the results of the present study, we established a telemedicine program for lifestyle modification with self-monitoring of sensors by participants. In consideration of medical risk management, the program uses 2-stage entry-assessment based on individual health check-up records.
