mHealth Intervention for Elevated Blood Pressure Among CollegeStudents:Single-Arm Intervention Study

Background: Current evidence reveals a growing pattern of hypertension among young adults, significantly increasing their risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. Young adults, particularly those of college age, often develop risk factors related tolifestyle choices in diet, exercise, and alcohol consumption. Developing useful interventions that can assist with screening andpossible behavioral modifications that are suitable and appealing to college-aged young adults could help with early identification and intervention for hypertension. Recent studies indicate mobile health (mHealth) apps are acceptable and effective for communication and message delivery among this population. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of using a mobile smartphone delivery system that provides tailored messages based on participant self-measured blood pressure (BP) with college-aged young adults. Methods: Using a single-arm intervention, pilot study design, the mHealth to Optimize BP Improvement (MOBILE) interventionwas implemented with college students aged 18 years to 39 years who had systolic BP >120 mm Hg and diastolic BP >= 80 mmHg. Participants were required to measure their BP daily for 28 days, submit the readings to the app, and receive preset educationaltext messages tailored to their BP value and related to encouraging healthy lifestyle modifications. Changes in a participant's BPwas evaluated using a mixed regression model, and a postintervention survey evaluated their perspectives on the mHealthintervention.<br /> Results: The participants'(N=9) mean age was 22.64 (SD 4.54) years; 56% (5/9) were overweight, and 11% (1/9) were obese.The average daily participation rate was 86%. Of the 9 participants, 8 completed the survey, and all indicated the interventionwas easy to use, found it increased awareness of their individual BP levels, indicated the text messages were helpful, and reportedmaking lifestyle changes based on the study intervention. They also provided suggestions for future implementation of theintervention and program. Overall, no significant changes were noted in BP over the 28 days. Conclusions: The mHealth-supported MOBILE intervention for BP monitoring and tailored text messaging was feasible toimplement, as our study indicated high rates of participation and acceptability. These encouraging findings support furtherdevelopment and testing in a larger sample over a longer time frame and hold the potential for early identification and interventionamong college-aged adults, filling a gap in current research.