Anxiety Associated With the Use of the Electrocardiogram Function in Smart Watches

Depression Clinical Trial

Official title:

Assessing the Impact of Using the Electrocardiogram Function in Smart Watches on the Level of Anxiety (GAD-7) Among University Students and Employees

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT06131463
• Other study ID #: be-healthy-smart-watches
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: November 13, 2023
• Est. completion date: March 4, 2024

Study information

• Verified date: April 2024
• Source: ITMO University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The integration of electrocardiography (ECG) functionality into smartwatches is primarily intended to screen for atrial fibrillation, a frequent cause of ischemic stroke, among people aged 50 years and older. However, it should be noted that recommendations for atrial fibrillation screening are controversial, and several organizations and communities do not recommend screening outside of at-risk groups.

Some smart device manufacturers do not recommend using the ECG function for anyone under the age of 22. However, young people are frequent users of wearable devices. One of the most common cardiologic diseases at the age of 18-30 is benign heart rhythm disorder, which often does not require diagnosis or treatment and can be considered normal.

That said, notification of the detection of atrial fibrillation can affect psycho-emotional well-being, particularly anxiety.

This study will assess the level of psycho-emotional health (anxiety level) of the study participants. Participant observation will provide an opportunity to identify associations between the use of the ECG recording function on wearable devices and levels of anxiety and depression. It is hypothesized that the use of smartwatches with the ECG function activated will not lead to a change in anxiety levels on the GAD-7 scale among the study participants. This assumes that after 30 days of use, the mean value of the GAD-7 scale in the intervention group and the control group will be the same.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 71
• Est. completion date: March 4, 2024
• Est. primary completion date: January 16, 2024
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 22 Years to 100 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Status of a student or employee of ITMO University;

• Availability of a smart watch with ECG function (Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, Galaxy Watch Active2, Samsung Galaxy Watch Series 3 and newer or similar with ECG function);

• Availability of a Galaxy smartphone running Android 7.0 or newer or availability of an iPhone 8 and newer smartphone with the latest version of iOS.

• Signed Informed consent and Consent for Data Processing of Personal Data;

• Absence of previously diagnosed clinically significant cardiovascular pathology.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants under the age of 22 cannot be included in the study;

• Participants in the acute phase of any disease or in the exacerbation of chronic diseases are excluded from the study.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Anxiety Disorders
• Depression
• Mental Health Wellness 1

Intervention

Device:
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) feature in smart watches
A study participant that is randomly assigned to the experimental group should enable the ECG function on his or her smart watch and make sure that there is synchronization with a corresponding application on his or her mobile phone. The ECG function must stay enabled, and the participant should wear the smartwatch every day for 30 days.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Russian Federation	ITMO University	Saint Petersburg

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
ITMO University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Russian Federation, 

References & Publications (7)

Benjamin EJ, Muntner P, Alonso A, Bittencourt MS, Callaway CW, Carson AP, Chamberlain AM, Chang AR, Cheng S, Das SR, Delling FN, Djousse L, Elkind MSV, Ferguson JF, Fornage M, Jordan LC, Khan SS, Kissela BM, Knutson KL, Kwan TW, Lackland DT, Lewis TT, Lichtman JH, Longenecker CT, Loop MS, Lutsey PL, Martin SS, Matsushita K, Moran AE, Mussolino ME, O'Flaherty M, Pandey A, Perak AM, Rosamond WD, Roth GA, Sampson UKA, Satou GM, Schroeder EB, Shah SH, Spartano NL, Stokes A, Tirschwell DL, Tsao CW, Turakhia MP, VanWagner LB, Wilkins JT, Wong SS, Virani SS; American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics-2019 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2019 Mar 5;139(10):e56-e528. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000659. No abstract available. Erratum In: Circulation. 2020 Jan 14;141(2):e33. — View Citation

Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB. The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure. J Gen Intern Med. 2001 Sep;16(9):606-13. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x. — View Citation

Lowe B, Decker O, Muller S, Brahler E, Schellberg D, Herzog W, Herzberg PY. Validation and standardization of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in the general population. Med Care. 2008 Mar;46(3):266-74. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0b013e318160d093. — View Citation

Rosman L, Gehi A, Lampert R. When smartwatches contribute to health anxiety in patients with atrial fibrillation. Cardiovasc Digit Health J. 2020 Jul-Aug;1(1):9-10. doi: 10.1016/j.cvdhj.2020.06.004. Epub 2020 Aug 28. No abstract available. Erratum In: Cardiovasc Digit Health J. 2021 Mar 31;2(2):150-151. — View Citation

Tison GH, Sanchez JM, Ballinger B, Singh A, Olgin JE, Pletcher MJ, Vittinghoff E, Lee ES, Fan SM, Gladstone RA, Mikell C, Sohoni N, Hsieh J, Marcus GM. Passive Detection of Atrial Fibrillation Using a Commercially Available Smartwatch. JAMA Cardiol. 2018 May 1;3(5):409-416. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2018.0136. — View Citation

Toussaint A, Husing P, Gumz A, Wingenfeld K, Harter M, Schramm E, Lowe B. Sensitivity to change and minimal clinically important difference of the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7). J Affect Disord. 2020 Mar 15;265:395-401. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.032. Epub 2020 Jan 15. — View Citation

US Preventive Services Task Force; Davidson KW, Barry MJ, Mangione CM, Cabana M, Caughey AB, Davis EM, Donahue KE, Doubeni CA, Epling JW Jr, Kubik M, Li L, Ogedegbe G, Pbert L, Silverstein M, Stevermer J, Tseng CW, Wong JB. Screening for Atrial Fibrillation: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2022 Jan 25;327(4):360-367. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.23732. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Anxiety level	Anxiety level is measured 30 days after the enrolment with Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) which is a tool based on seven items which are scored from zero to three. The whole scale score can range from 0 to 21 and cut-off scores for mild, moderate and severe anxiety symptoms are 5, 10 and 15 respectively.	30 days
Secondary	Depression	Depression is assessed 30 days after the enrolment with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) that can range from 0 to 27, since each of the 9 items can be scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day).	30 days
Secondary	Depression	Depression is assessed 90 days after the enrolment with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) that can range from 0 to 27, since each of the 9 items can be scored from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day).	90 days
Secondary	Anxiety level	Anxiety level is measured 90 days after the enrolment with Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) which is a tool based on seven items which are scored from zero to three. The whole scale score can range from 0 to 21 and cut-off scores for mild, moderate and severe anxiety symptoms are 5, 10 and 15 respectively.	90 days
Secondary	Heart rhythm disturbances	The frequency of detection of clinically significant and clinically insignificant heart rhythm disturbances.	90 days

External Links

•   How to use the ECG app on Apple Devices