Do Walk Step Reminders Improve Physical Activity in Persons Living With HIV in New York City?-Results From a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Gabriella Alvarez, Gabriella Sanabria, Haomiao Jia and 6 others
PMID 37747318WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with HIV, an app with step reminders, fitness tracking, videos, and surveys did not improve steps, BMI, or hip-to-waist over 6 months.
Steps fell in both arms.
Key findings
01The walk-step arm received app step reminders, a linked fitness tracker, and wellness videos and surveys, and its daily steps did not differ significantly from the medication-reminder arm.
02Daily steps fell in both arms: 4.3% every 3 months in the step-reminder arm and 3.9% every 3 months in the medication-reminder arm.
03BMI and hip-to-waist ratio did not change significantly from baseline, and changes did not differ between arms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
No baseline physical activity was collected, so the study cannot tell whether participants initially walked more than usual and then returned to their normal routine. The walk-step arm received several things together, including app reminders, a fitness tracker, videos, and surveys, so the effect of any one component cannot be separated. The arms differed significantly in sex/gender at baseline, although analyses controlling for this did not change the step result. The study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, and low fitness tracker use and lockdown barriers may have limited activity. A sensitivity analysis that treated zero-step days differently produced a different result, so the finding depends on how missing tracker days were handled. The sample was smaller than the 1,854 participants the authors estimated would be needed to detect the very small difference in steps they observed. This was a secondary analysis of a medication-adherence trial; participants may have been motivated by medication reminders rather than exercise.
Declared interests
No conflicts are reported. The article is listed as supported by U.S. government and non-U.S. government research support, but no sponsor role is stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that step reminders improved physical activity because a sensitivity analysis found a faster decline in the medication-reminder arm. That analysis changed how zero-step days were treated, and the main analysis found no significant difference between arms in daily steps.