ABSTRACT NUMBER: ESOC2026A1271 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STROKE RISKOMETER™ MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION IN IMPROVING CARDIOVASCULAR BEHAVIORAL RISK FACTORS – A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract Background and aims The role of mHealth in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases is uncertain. We evaluated the effectiveness of Stroke Riskometer™ App (App) in improving cardiovascular behavioral risk factors. Methods This secondary analysis of a 2-arm RCT in Australia and New Zealand recruited people aged 35-75 years, with ≥2 stroke modifiable risk factors, no history of stroke, myocardial infarction, or cognitive impairment between August 2021 and November 2023. Participants were randomized to the intervention group (IG—App access) or usual care group (UCG—links to generic information). Cardiovascular behavioral risk factors (diet, physical activity and smoking) were measured at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months using validated questionnaires and classified as “ideal” or “non-ideal” using Life’s Simple 7® criteria. Mixed-effects logistic regression assessed changes in individual and combined (categorized as “3 ideal risk factors” and “<3 ideal risk factors”) between groups over time. Results Of 862 participants randomized (mean age 58.1 [SD 11] years, 63.0% female), there were no significant differences between IG (n = 429) and UCG (n = 429) on individual ideal risk factors at any time point (Table 1). For combined ideal risk factors, there were no significant differences at 3 and 6 months; however, at 12 months, IG more often achieved all ideal risk factors (8%, adjusted odds ratio 2.71, 95% CI 1.04, 7.09) compared to UCG (5%). Conclusions While few achieved ideal risk factor levels, the App supports an overall change in risk profile and should be considered as an important adjunct to managing risk factors. Conflict of interest Disclosures: The Stroke Riskometer™ App was developed by Auckland University of Technology including authors Valery Feigin and Rita Krishnamurthi. Declaration of interests: Valery Feigin is a shareholder and serves as Chief Scientific Adviser for PreventS-MD Ltd, a spin-off company of AUT Ventures Ltd (Auckland University of Technology). AUT Ventures Ltd and PreventS-MD Ltd jointly hold the copyright for the free-to-use Stroke Riskometer app. Funding: This study was funded by Synergies to Prevent Stroke (STOPstroke), an NHMRC Synergy Grant (GNT1182071). Declaration of conflicting interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to this work. Table 1 - belongs to Results