Physical Activity Daily - An Internet-Based Walking Program for Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease

With the aging of the American population, the numbers of adults with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) will increase significantly over the next several decades. Patients with PAD are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality including both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. While regular physical activity reduces risk for vascular events and is recommended for treatment of PAD patients, few patients meet recommended goals. Exercise programs which increase long-term adherence to walking can be an important contribution to PAD treatment. Our Internet-based intervention, builds on a walking enhancement program developed by members of our team and is shown to improve adherence among patients with vascular disease such as coronary artery disease (CAD). Using a randomized, controlled trial study design, we propose to test an automated Internet-based walking program to improve long-term adherence to walking while increasing walking distance, and health-related quality of life, among patients with PAD. Participants will be randomized to 1 of four study groups: 1) weekly telephone counseling, 2) an Internet-based walking program, 3) a combination of telephone counseling and Internet-based walking program, or 4) a usual care group. The Internet-based walking program has been shown to increase both adherence to walking and overall walking duration in populations with chronic complex conditions such as CAD and diabetes. There is a strong need to develop interventions, easily generalizable to a real-world population, to improve the reach of lifestyle interventions which result in improved physical function and adherence to regular exercise among complex medical patients. Patients such as those with PAD (a CAD risk equivalent) stand to benefit the most from such programs.