How daily movement patterns relate to heart disease risk
Examining Longitudinal Changes in Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity in Preventing Cardiovascular Disease with Novel Function Data Analysis Approaches
This project looks at whether changes in minute-by-minute activity patterns from wearable accelerometers can help prevent heart disease in older adults, especially women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11258522 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work uses minute-level activity data from wearable accelerometers rather than daily averages so daily rhythms and timing of movement are preserved. Researchers will apply a new mathematical approach (a Riemann manifold functional data method) to capture detailed changes in people’s diurnal activity patterns over time. The team will link those activity-pattern changes to heart disease outcomes using existing data from the Women’s Health Initiative Strong & Healthy (WHISH) trial. The goal is to create new activity measures that better reflect how real-world movement relates to cardiovascular risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are older adults—particularly women—who wear or have worn accelerometer-based activity trackers or who participated in the WHISH/WHI studies and have linked health records.
Not a fit: People without wearable activity data, younger individuals with low cardiovascular risk, or those not represented in the WHI cohort may not benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could produce better wearable-based activity measures that help identify people at higher heart disease risk and guide more precise prevention advice.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies using accelerometers have shown that more activity lowers heart disease risk, but using this advanced Riemann manifold method to capture detailed daily patterns is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zou, Jingjing — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Zou, Jingjing
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.