AI-Based Health Coaching Aids Blood Pressure Management

WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Artificial intelligence (AI)-based, lifestyle coaching can improve blood pressure (BP) management, according to a study published online May 28 in JMIR Cardio.

Jared Leitner, from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and colleagues assessed the effectiveness of a fully digital, autonomous, and AI-based lifestyle coaching program on achieving BP control among adults with hypertension. The analysis included 141 participants monitored over 24 weeks with data from wearable activity trackers, BP monitors, and mobile app questionnaire responses.

The researchers found that at 12 weeks, systolic and diastolic BP decreased by 5.6 and 3.8 mm Hg, respectively. Systolic and diastolic BP decreased by even more for participants starting with stage 2 hypertension (9.6 and 5.7 mm Hg, respectively). Systolic and diastolic BP decreased by 8.1 and 5.1 mm Hg, respectively, at 24 weeks. For participants with stage 2 hypertension, systolic and diastolic BP decreased by 14.2 and 8.1 mm Hg, respectively, at 24 weeks. From baseline to 12 and 24 weeks, the percentage of participants with controlled BP increased by 17.2 and 26.5 percent, respectively. From baseline to 12 and 24 weeks, the percentage of participants with stage 2 hypertension decreased by 25 and 26.5 percent, respectively.

“By pinpointing the top lifestyle contributors to patients’ hypertension and providing precise guidance, the AI-powered lifestyle coaching was able to maintain high patient engagement leading to improved patient outcomes,” Leitner said in a statement.

Several of the authors are cofounders of CIPRA.ai Inc, a start-up company formed out of UCSD, which has licensed the intervention technology presented in this paper.

Abstract/Full Text