Health conditions that have a negative effect on the heart are higher among adults living in rural areas, especially among Hispanic/Latinos. Researchers at UNMC’s College of Public Health and College of Nursing are trying to see if use of a smart phone app and smart scale will help rural Hispanic/Latino families manage chronic health problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The research study titled Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Impact of a mHealth Intervention on Cardiorespiratory Fitness in a Rural Hispanic Adult Population will begin in May 2019. There is no charge to participate and you will be compensated for your time.
This research study is for those who:
- Are Hispanic/Latino adult between 19 – 65 years of age
- Live within 50 miles of Columbus or Schuyler Nebraska
- Have and use a smartphone
- Have had at least 2 of the following:
- been told your blood pressure is high
- an abnormal cholesterol blood test
- an abnormal diabetes blood test
- are overweight or obese
- are treated for type II diabetes
- are treated for high blood pressure
- are treated for high cholesterol
If you participate in this research study, you would be asked to:
- Use a smart phone health app to monitor your diet, physical activity, and weight
- Meet with a nurse practitioner 3 times in the UNMC mobile nursing clinic when scheduled to be in Columbus or Schuyler. The nurse practitioner will interview you and perform health tests including vital signs, body measurements, a simple fitness test, and a fingerstick lab tests.
- Meet with a researcher 1 time in the UNMC mobile nursing clinic to be interviewed about your opinion of the smart phone health app
The goal of this research study is to evaluate the effect of adding mobile health technology to a typical nurse practitioner health visit. Use of a smart phone health app can be an effective way to prevent or manage a chronic health condition like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and/or obesity. Although most adults now use a smart phone, it appears few rural living Hispanic/Latino adults are aware of how to use a smart phone health app to support healthy diet and physical activity behaviors. This research study will evaluate two different approaches used by a nurse practitioner to incorporate the use of mobile health technology into a health consultation. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups with the following provided to each group:
Group 1
- One 15 minute health consultation with a nurse practitioner at start of study
- Smart phone health app available in Spanish at start of study
- Smart scale to keep given at start of the study
- Health promotion text messages 2-3 times per week during study
Group 2
- Smart phone health app available in Spanish app given at start of study
- Smart scale to keep will be given at the end of the study
- One 15 minute health consultation with nurse practitioner at end of study
Over this 6 month research study, participants in both groups will meet with the research team 4 different times (at initial visit then at 6, 12, and 24 weeks). Each visit will last approximately 20 minutes to interview you about your health and have the following tests:
- Height
- Weight
- Waist circumference
- Blood pressure
- Heart rate
- Fingerstick blood test of glucose, hemoglobin A1C and cholesterol
- A 3-minute step test to check your heart and muscle health. This test is done by having you go up and down two steps twenty times in a row.
Funding: This research study is funded by a grant from the CENTRIC Center (Center for Patient, Family & Community Engagement in Chronic Care Management) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
IRB # 064-19-FB