Using mobile health to reduce cardiovascular disease risk

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity (40%) and mortality in China.1 The increasing incidence of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and poor diet, combined with an ageing population, results in a population with an increased 10 year risk of developing cardiovascular disease.2

The linked study by Zhang and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-082765) used a village doctor-led mobile health (mHealth) intervention for cardiovascular risk reduction in rural China.3 The SMARTER (Strategy for cardiovascular disease prevention through tailored health Management and its effectiveness Assessment through a cluster Randomised Trial in individuals with Elevated Risk) study was a cluster randomised controlled trial that included 63 villages (2236 participants) in the control group—receiving usual care, and 64 villages (2297 participants) in the intervention group. In addition to usual care, the intervention group received a multifaceted intervention consisting of individual risk assessment by researchers to identify intervention targets, gradual goals based on doctor-participant communication, short health education videos, monitoring and feedback by weekly reports to the doctors, and …