Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Dec 19, 2019
Date Accepted: May 5, 2020
Date Submitted to PubMed: Jul 16, 2020
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
A lifestyle modification program delivered by artificially-intelligent virtual health coach: a case-controlled proof-of-concept study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background:
Poor diet and physical inactivity are leading modifiable causes of death and disease. Advances in artificial intelligence technology present tantalising opportunities for creating virtual health coaches capable of providing personalised support at scale.
Objective:
This proof of concept study aimed to test the feasibility (recruitment and retention) and preliminary efficacy of a physical activity and Mediterranean-style dietary intervention (MedLiPal) delivered via artificially-intelligent virtual health coach.
Methods:
Methods:
This 12-week single-arm pre-post study took place in Adelaide Australia, from March to August 2019. Participants were inactive community-dwelling adults aged 45 to 75 years, recruited through news stories, social media posts and flyers. The MedLiPal program included access to an artificially-intelligent chatbot, Paola, who guided participants through a computer-based individualised introductory session, weekly check-ins and goal-setting, and was available 24/7 to answer questions. Participants used a Garmin Vivofit4 tracker to monitor daily steps, a website with educational materials and recipes, and a printed diet and activity log sheet. Primary outcomes included feasibility (based on recruitment and retention) and preliminary efficacy for changing physical activity and diet. Secondary outcomes were body composition (based on height, weight and waist-circumference), and blood pressure.
Results:
Results:
Over 4 weeks, 99 potential participants registered expressions of interest, with 82% of those screened meeting eligibility criteria. Participants completed a mean of 109.8 (95% CI 1·9 to 217·7) more minutes of physical activity at week 12 compared with baseline. Mediterranean diet scores increased from a mean of 3·8 out of 14 at baseline, to 9·6 at 12 weeks (mean improvement 5·7 points, 95% CI 4·2 to 7·3). After 12 weeks, participants lost an average 1·3kg (95% CI -0·1 to -2·5kg) and 2·1cm from their waist circumference (95% CI -3·5 to -0·7cm). There were no significant changes in blood pressure. Feasibility was excellent in terms of recruitment, retention (90% at 12 weeks) and safety (no adverse events).
Conclusions:
Conclusion: An artificially-intelligent virtual assistant-led Mediterranean lifestyle intervention was feasible, and achieved measurable improvements in physical activity, diet and body composition at 12 weeks. Future research examining artificially-intelligent interventions at scale, and for other health purposes, is warranted. Clinical Trial: This study was registered with the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. ANZCTR12619000015145p, registration date 09/01/2019, available at https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=376325&isReview=true
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Copyright
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