February 15, 2024
Researchers have found that using Garmin smartwatches to track activity levels in patients with cardiovascular disease may lead to improved self-reported quality of life.
The German Heart Center in Munich, in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich (TUM), is at the forefront of cardiovascular care, especially with regard to congenital heart disease (CHD). These two facilities have been using Garmin watches for years to monitor patients’ physical activity, starting with pediatrics with Garmin vívofit.® Junior fitness trackers, recently transitioning to vívofit® 3 and vivosmart® 5 pieces for adults.
The first study was conducted in children using the Garmin vívofit jr. Wearing a comfortable and easy-to-use activity tracker, we found that 88.1% of study participants met the World Health Organization’s recommended 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This success led to further research. How physical activity relates to quality of life in children with CHD. Ultimately, children who are more physically active report a higher overall quality of life. For every minute of moderate to vigorous physical activity he did, she reported a 1% increase in quality of life.
The study was led by Professor Jan Müller, whose research focuses on vascular stiffness as a major cardiovascular risk factor and the importance of physical activity early in life for overall well-being. It emphasizes the health benefits of establishing.
“To ensure the best long-term results and improve patients’ quality of life, it is important to take a holistic approach to patient health,” says Muller. Research shows that nearly all patients with congenital heart disease can engage in the same recommended activity levels as other patients. This fact, combined with what the team has learned about improving quality of life, makes it important to be able to track this activity. using a Garmin smartwatch.
Below, Mr. Müller talks about his work with the German Heart Center and TUM, and the pivotal role Garmin plays in these research projects.
Q: What is congenital heart disease?
Congenital heart disease is a problem with the heart or nearby blood vessels that is present from birth and often develops during early pregnancy. They can range from mild to life-threatening and may require surgery or long-term treatment. Advances in medical technology have improved survival rates and quality of life for CHD patients, resulting in a thriving CHD community. Given the chronic nature of these conditions, lifelong care is essential, highlighting the importance of ongoing research.
Q: What data from Garmin smartwatches can help with research?
When looking at physical activity in CHD patients, the central parameters of our study are movement: step count and active time. In intervention studies using exercise components, both heart rate and arrhythmia for training control play important roles regarding patient safety. Lack of physical activity is an important, if not the primary, risk factor for cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. Fitness trackers and smartwatches can prove valuable as they are cost-effective, durable, and provide more reliable data compared to surveys. This is particularly beneficial for securing funding in scientific research, as it is affordable and has proven effective in many studies.
Q: Can you explain the importance of exercise data in relation to your work with CHD patients?
Movement data is very important for us and for the clinical management of patients with congenital heart disease. This is because patient life expectancy has improved significantly and cardiovascular diseases are becoming more relevant in this population. Through extensive research, we can increasingly understand the subject of exercise and find ways and means to increase the level of exercise in a targeted way.
Q: Can you elaborate on the benefits you have noticed from using Garmin fitness trackers?
A crucial benefit from this study was the discovery that individuals could participate in exercise research without being burdened by the bulky medical-grade accelerometers used in previous studies. Additionally, individuals can now connect their fitness trackers in the following ways: fit rockleis the leading platform solution for wearable health data research, enabling direct synchronization of data in the cloud. This is invaluable for further scientific evaluation.
We chose Garmin because they were the only company that offered a fitness tracker specifically for kids with vívofit jr. and its successor model. It has been well received by children and young people, who enjoy wearing it. In previous studies on exercise, we used unattractive accelerometers that were worn around the waist like a belt. Not only was this difficult to use, it was often difficult for participants to explain why they were wearing the device without addressing their own illness. A chic and delicate fitness tracker is not uncomfortable in this respect and will not disappoint chronically ill patients when worn in daily life.
Q: Looking to the future, how do you think research on patients with congenital heart disease and physical activity will develop?
We have now been collecting activity data for over 6 years and know a lot about the common exercise behaviors of our patients. In the future, it will be important to analyze this more precisely. That is, at what times of the day someone is active and on what days of the week. Only then will it be possible to increase active behavior through individualized interventions, and this should also be our goal. This technological possibility is only available now, not six years ago when we started measuring it.
Could Garmin wearable technology and the Garmin Health Connected Ecosystem play a key role in the next health and clinical research studies? Contact us now To find out more.
Also, if you would like to learn more about related projects, visit www.garmin.com/third-party-studies-overview to see other research projects with Garmin Health. Additionally, all information regarding research and clinical trials can be found here.
Garmin devices are not designed or intended to monitor or diagnose any disease or medical condition.Find information about The accuracy of the metrics is here.
