Designing an App to Promote Physical Exercise in Sedentary People Using a Day-to-Day Algorithm to Ensure a Healthy Self-Programmed Exercise Training

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 20; no. 2; p. 1528
• Main Authors: Casanova-Lizón, Antonio, Sarabia, José M., Pastor, Diego, Javaloyes, Alejandro, Peña-González, Iván, Moya-Ramón, Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 14.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Algorithms; Electrocardiography; Exercise; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Humans; Male; Mobile Applications; Physical fitness; Reproducibility of Results; Sedentary behavior; Smartphone; Smartphones; app; heart rate variability; exercise training; short and ultra-short measurements
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021528

Heart rate variability (HRV) has allowed the implementation of a methodology for daily decision making called day-to-day training, which allows data to be recorded by anyone with a smartphone. The purpose of the present work was to evaluate the validity and reliability of HRV measurements with a new mobile app (Selftraining UMH) in two resting conditions. Twenty healthy people (10 male and 10 female) were measured at rest in supine and seated positions with an electrocardiogram and an application for smartphones at the same time (Selftraining UMH) using recordings obtained through an already validated chest-worn heart rate monitor (Polar H10). The Selftraining UMH app showed no significant differences compared to an electrocardiogram, neither in supine nor in sitting position (p > 0.05) and they presented almost perfect correlation levels (r ≥ 0.99). Furthermore, no significant differences were found between ultra-short (1-min) and short (5-min) length measurements. The intraclass correlation coefficient showed excellent reliability (>0.90) and the standard error of measurement remained below 5%. The Selftraining UMH smartphone app connected via Bluetooth to the Polar H10 chest strap can be used to register daily HRV recordings in healthy sedentary people.