Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) or elevated CVD risk often struggle to sustain physical activity, even after completing structured rehabilitation. Digital health interventions may help bridge this gap by promoting long-term habit formation. A pilot randomized controlled trial, presented at the European Society of C+ardiology (ESC) Congress 2025, evaluated the feasibility of an app-based program designed to support lifelong physical activity adherence.

The multicentre, two-arm trial included thirty-four participants (mean age 57 years; 62% male), divided between either standard care or standard care plus the digital health intervention. This intervention provided a personalized prospective physical activity plan. Assessments included clinical measures, wearable sensor data, and patient-reported outcomes at baseline, discharge, and a 10-week follow-up.

Recruitment averaged 1.6 patients per week, with 28 out of 34 participants completing follow-up (attrition 17.6%). Data completeness was high (97.4%), and no intervention-related adverse events were observed. Rehabilitation staff reported smooth implementation, while participants gave favorable usability ratings.
The study demonstrated feasibility across key parameters. These findings support the need for a larger trial to test digital health interventions for sustained physical activity in high-risk populations.