Efficacy and adherence of mobile health-based myofunctional therapy for obstructive sleep apnea

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of WeChat applet-based myofunctional therapy (MFT) on the efficacy and adherence of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared to conventional hospital-guided programs. METHODS: A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted, enrolling 78 patients with OSA who declined continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or surgical treatment (mean age 39.44 ± 9.82 years). Participants were randomly allocated to either the mini-program intervention group (n = 39) or the non-intervention group (n = 39). Both groups underwent a 12-week oropharyngeal muscle training program that targeted the soft palate, tongue, lips, and buccal muscles. The intervention group received video-based guidance, real-time feedback, and automated compliance monitoring via a customized WeChat application, whereas the non-intervention group maintained their records using paper diaries. Outcomes, including polysomnography results, sleep scale scores, and compliance rates, were subsequently compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients completed the study (32 in the intervention group and 34 in non-intervention group). Improvement in AHI was significantly better in the intervention group than in the non-intervention group (Δ8.92 ± 9.27 vs. Δ2.66 ± 6.80 beats/h, P < 0.001), and adherence rates were higher at all time points (12 weeks: 73% vs. 66%, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Mobile health guided MFT significantly improved treatment adherence in patients with OSA and outperformed traditional modality in terms of improvement in the core metric AHI, providing a digital solution for CPAP-intolerant patients.