Smartphone support to help people with atrial fibrillation cut back on alcohol
Digital Interventions to Study and Influence the Alcohol-Atrial Fibrillation Connection
This project will build a phone app to help people with atrial fibrillation reduce or stop drinking and give real‑time feedback when alcohol may trigger AF.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11182632 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You'll be invited to help design and test a smartphone app created with input from AF patients and experts in behavior change. The app will include tailored messages, a personalized visualization that links your drinking to AF events, and real‑time encouragement triggered when smartwatches detect AF or drinking-related signals. The team will use the Eureka Digital Research Platform and smartwatch integrations to collect data and deliver interventions. The work builds on prior clinical and lab findings about alcohol's immediate effects on the atria and will be refined through human-centered testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults diagnosed with atrial fibrillation who currently consume alcohol and can use a smartphone (and preferably a smartwatch) are the best fit.
Not a fit: People who do not drink, who cannot use smartphone technology, or whose AF is driven primarily by non-alcohol causes may not benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the app could help people with AF drink less and reduce the frequency or severity of AF episodes.
How similar studies have performed: Previous trials found that abstaining from alcohol lowers AF burden and lab work showed alcohol can acutely change atrial electrophysiology, but using a tailored digital app to prompt abstinence in AF patients is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marcus, Gregory M — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Marcus, Gregory M
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.