# Rehabbing with Peloton: Commercially Available Fitness mHealth for Cardiac Rehabilitation among Individuals Recovering from Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

> **NIH NIH R61** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2024 · $792,235

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The proposed project is a resubmission by two promising Early-Stage Investigators as multiple principal
investigators (PAR-22-189). The overall goal of this multi-phase proposal is to prepare for (R61) and execute
(R33) a randomized clinical trial testing the effectiveness of Rehabbing with Peloton for improving physical
activity among patients receiving transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and evaluating the
implementation of the intervention for future scalability. Despite ample evidence of the benefits of cardiac
rehabilitation, only a small fraction of TAVR patients participate, which is thought to be a combination of missed
referral opportunities coupled with patient-borne challenges including transportation, scheduling, and physical
access to facilities. Participation in cardiac rehabilitation is particularly low among women and racial and ethnic
minorities, as well as those with lower socioeconomic status, and/or living in rural areas, contributing to
disproportionate morbidity and mortality burden in these patients. Overseeing cardiac rehabilitation content on
commercially available fitness platforms (such as the Peloton mobile app) may be an excellent format for
ensuring rehabilitation-appropriate modules while reaching TAVR patients currently under-referred and
underusing cardiac rehabilitation. In our preliminary work, we engaged TAVR patients and cardiologists to
develop the Rehabbing with Peloton intervention. RWP is an 8-week intervention in which TAVR patients
engage with the Peloton app (not the fitness bike) to promote physical activity. RWP is a clinically reviewed,
pre-set user account controlled by the research team that includes specific modules focusing on walking,
strength exercises, yoga breathwork, and stretching, areas of exercise training previously used in home-based
cardiac rehabilitation. Building on our previous multidisciplinary research, this proposal describes an innovative
type II effectiveness-implementation hybrid randomized control trial of TAVR patients comparing RWP to
attention control, controlling for technology. We will dedicate the R61 phase of the project to milestone-driven
startup of the trial to successfully start recruitment by month 9 of the project. During the R33 phase, we will
randomize N=200 individuals receiving TAVR from the University of Colorado Hospital Heart and Vascular
Center to RWP or attention control. At baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and follow-up (12 months), we will
assess participants’ physical activity (smartwatch accelerometer measured daily steps) and secondary
outcomes of interest including functional capacity (Duke Activity Status Index; VO2max), quality of life (Kansas
City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire), and cardiovascular health status (Life Essential 8). The aims of the study
are to test the efficacy of RWP on physical activity at 8 weeks (Aim 1) and secondary outcomes (Aim 2). We
will use mixed methodologies to evaluate the implementation of RW...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10985622
- **Project number:** 1R61HL169336-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Christopher Knoepke
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $792,235
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-01 → 2025-09-21

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10985622

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10985622, Rehabbing with Peloton: Commercially Available Fitness mHealth for Cardiac Rehabilitation among Individuals Recovering from Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (1R61HL169336-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10985622. Licensed CC0.

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