A nonrandomized controlled trial of individualized exercise prescription combined with remote exercise management in patients who are overweight or obese

BACKGROUND: Between 2012 and 2020, the obesity rate increased among Chinese people aged 18 years and above, along with blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, serum total cholesterol, and triglycerides. PURPOSE: Our objective was to compare the effects of a combined intervention, including individualized exercise prescription plus remote management versus individualized exercise prescription only, on cardiovascular risk factors in patients who are overweight or obese, with the aim of establishing a more effective remote model of health management than self-management. METHODS: This nonrandomized controlled trial (ChiCTR2100046307) studied patients who are overweight or obese at model labor health management centers from January 2019 to December 2019, including 55 people in the experimental group and 34 in the control group. The relevant indexes of all the research objects from both experimental group and control group were examined. Participants in the experimental group were given individualized exercise prescription combined with remote exercise management over a period of 3 months. The control group was prescribed exercise only at time of enrollment and taught about exercise once, followed by voluntary exercise and self-management for 3 months. RESULT: After adjusting for baseline differences, the changes in weight (−2.72 ± 4.03 kg versus 0.32 ± 2.50 kg, P < 0.0001), body mass index (−0.99 ± 1.44 kg/m(2) versus 0.11 ± 0.92 kg/m(2), P < 0.0001), waist circumference (−2.98 ± 6.29 cm versus 0.60 ± 5.33 cm, P < 0.0001), visceral fat area (−9.75 ± 19.68 cm(2) versus −1.31 ± 12.37 cm(2), P = 0.028), body fat (− 2.65 ± 3.52 kg versus 0.54 ± 2.67 kg, P < 0.0001), body fat rate (−2.50 ± 3.32% versus 0.21 ± 3.30%, P < 0.0001), uric acid (−9.75 ± 19.68 µmol/L versus −1.31 ± 12.37 µmol/L, P = 0.028), serum total cholesterol (−0.11 ± 0.40 mmol/L versus −0.11 ± 0.59 mmol/L, P = 0.004), fasting insulin (− 2.36 ± 5.20 μU/mL versus 1.22 ± 7.34 μU/mL, P = 0.009), and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (−0.62 ± 1.25 versus 0.14 ± 1.83, P = 0.022) were significantly better in the experimental group than in the control group after intervention. CONCLUSION: Individualized exercise prescription combined with remote management in patients who are obese or overweight facilitated weight and fat loss, lowered blood pressure and serum total cholesterol, improved glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, and reduced cardiovascular risk factors. The intervention was superior to conventional education in terms of weight loss, fat reduction, total cholesterol reduction, fasting insulin reduction, and amelioration of insulin resistance.