Authors (including presenting author) :
Mok SYC(1), Wong CW(1), Chiu PY(1), Wong SW(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Physiotherapy Department, United Christian Hospital
Introduction :
The traditional clinic-based exercise programme in United Christian Hospital [UCH] ran for 6 consecutive weeks each time and many were unable to adhere to the programme due to its rigid schedule. Lack of motivation is another major reason for not exercising. A new weight-reduction programme combined with tele-monitoring has been developed in the attempt to increase accessibility of physiotherapy service and motivate exercise habits through regular tele-monitoring.
Objectives :
To explore the effectiveness of this new home-based weight-reduction programme combined with tele-monitoring for obese patients.
Methodology :
Adult obese patients referred to UCH Physiotherapy department who opted for non-surgical intervention were included. Patients were reviewed in person for their initial assessment and those who were unable to use a smartphone or perform the exercises safely were excluded. Regular tele-monitoring was given until their final evaluation in person at 6-month.
All patients were educated on self-perceived exertion and exercise progression. High-intensity interval training [HIIT] was tailored to each patient. This exercise was chosen as the core exercise because of its time-efficient strategy and great adaptability to suit each person’s physical abilities.
Primary outcome measures include body weight, body mass index [BMI], percentage of body fat and soft lean mass [SLM]. Secondary outcome measures were exercise efficacy and International Physical Activity Questionnaires [IPAQ] scores. A patient satisfaction survey was also given.
Result & Outcome :
This programme commenced in May 2020 and as of December 2020, 3 patients had completed all the in-person assessments and 4 satisfactory survey forms were returned. At the 6-month evaluation, body weight, BMI and SLM had all shown significant improvements (p< 0.05). Although the satisfaction survey presented mixed reviews (ranged from 2.3 to 4.9 out of 5, 5 being the most satisfied), both the exercise efficacy and IPAQ score had significantly improved (p< 0.05), showing higher exercise confidence and activity level respectively.
This home-based exercise programme with tele-monitoring permits physiotherapist to review patient’s progress and give guidance when required, and HIIT allows patient to perform exercises at home and create an exercise schedule that best fit their needs. Both of which could be the contributing factors to these positive results, showing this programme could be an effective alternative to future programme development, especially under COVID-19 restrictions.
