Abstract Body: Introduction: Physical activity provides multiple benefits for managing hypertension. Wearable devices are popular tools aimed to promote physical activity among its users. Currently, there are limited literature examining the effectiveness of wearable devices in promoting physical activity among people with hypertension. The purpose of the current study is to examine the association between wearable device usage and meeting of aerobic physical activity guidelines among people with hypertension.
Hypothesis: Wearable device users with hypertension are more likely to meet the aerobic physical activity guidelines than nonusers with hypertension.
Methods: Adults with hypertension from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were included in the analysis. Participants self-reported their utilization of wearable devices along with their physical activity levels. Participants were determined to meet the aerobic physical activity guidelines if they engaged in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week. Adjusted binary logistic regression with survey analysis techniques was used to examine the association between wearable device usage and meeting of aerobic physical activity guidelines among participants with hypertension accounting for demographic factors.
Results: Among the 1602 participants with hypertension, only 18.09% (95% CI [14.14, 22.53]) reported using wearable devices. A higher proportion of wearable device users met the aerobic physical activity guidelines than nonusers (79.27%, 95% CI [69.92, 88.61] vs 70.33%, 95% CI [64.66, 75.99]). Participants using wearable devices were 2.25 (95% CI [1.17, 4.33]) times the odds of nonusers in meeting the aerobic physical activity guidelines accounting for demographic factors.
Conclusion: Adults with hypertension who used wearable devices were more likely to achieve recommended levels of aerobic physical activity, suggesting that these devices may be a promising tool to support physical activity promotion in this population.