Overview
NIHI HEART: Walking & Leisure Time Exercise
Overview
The NIHI HEART program was developed to improve physical activity. Initially developed as an SMS program, it has been tailored to work on the Pukeko App based platform, while preserving it’s fidelity.
NIHI HEART was a randomised controlled trial published in 2015 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The program was co-developed with Cardiologists & Researchers, and uses evidence based behaviour change techniques to get individuals to participate in 30 mins/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day. The program consists of:
- Exercise prescription
- Behaviour change strategies
- Technical support
A key focus of the program was to increase participant’s self-efficacy, that is their confidence in their ability to implement exercise.
The results clearly showed significant increases in leisure time physical activity and walking.
In addition, a rigorous assessment of cost effectiveness was conducted, and the intervention was shown to be cost effective.