MISSION-RA
Research type
Research Study
Full title
MovIng to Support Sustained Improvement iN Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis - MISSION-RA
IRAS ID
315054
Contact name
Sally Fenton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research tells us that physical activity (PA) is good for people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). However, people living with RA can find PA a challenge, due to symptoms like joint pain or fatigue. Better support is needed to help people living with RA do more PA, and to stay physically active in the long-term.
We are going to develop an RA-specific computer programme that can use data from activity trackers to help people with RA become more physically active. To do this, we will first characterise study participants in terms of their health and RA disease status. This will be done with clinical assessments including measurement of; height, weight, disease activity score-28, fasted blood sample, blood pressure. Next we will capture the unique PA behaviour of people living with RA using activity trackers and an automated wearable camera. The computer programme will then be developed using this data.
The RA-specific computer programme will be able to recognise types of PA, such as walking, gardening, stair-climbing and swimming from activity tracker data. This computer programme will then be used to help explore if certain activities are better than others for improving health in RA (e.g. walking vs. stair-climbing).
The computer programme will then be built into a mobile phone app which links to a popular activity tracker - the Fitbit. This MISSION-RA app and Fitbit activity tracker will give personalised feedback on PA behaviour and suggest changes to help people with RA increase their PA and improve their health.
In total, 248 people living with RA will be involved in developing the RA-specific computer programme and the MISSION-RA app with the research team. This will help to make sure that the MISSION-RA app specifically tailored for the needs of people with RA to give them more personalised support to increase their PA.
REC name
London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/LO/0638
Date of REC Opinion
3 Feb 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion