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HEICA Study

Hybrid Exercise Intervention for Cardiovascular Health of People Living with HIV (HEICA-HIV)

Years: 2025-

Background

People living with HIV (PLWH) have a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and heart failure (HF) compared with people without HIV, with estimates suggesting a 1.5–2-fold higher risk of HF. Current guidelines for HF management highlight the importance of a healthy lifestyle, such as being physically active, in preventing and treating HF. However, physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are highly prevalent among PLWH, and adherence to exercise interventions is often low due to barriers such as transportation difficulties and time constraints.

To address these gaps, we propose the Hybrid Exercise Intervention for Cardiovascular Health of People living with HIV (HEICA-HIV). HEICA-HIV is a novel multi-component 8-week intervention that will simultaneously deliver a supervised center-based and a tailored home-based exercise intervention, together with exercise and cardiovascular health education.

Research Design

HEICA-HIV is currently in the pilot study phase and is designed as a proof-of-concept, single-arm, mixed-methods clinical trial with a pre–post design conducted at two sites (Seattle, USA and Londrina, Brazil). The study plans to enroll 30 adults living with HIV (15 in Seattle and 15 in Londrina) who are aged 40 years or older, physically inactive, and classified as having HF stage A or B.

The 8-week pilot intervention includes four core components:

  1. Group-based exercise and cardiovascular health education sessions
  2.  Hybrid exercise program consisting of one supervised center-based session and two home-based sessions per week
  3.  Weekly individual behavioral coaching using motivational interviewing
  4.  Mobile health support using a smartwatch or activity tracker

Resources

Research Team

Seattle, USA

Principal Investigators

Co-Investigators

  • Allison Webel, PhD, RN, FAAN, School of Nursing, University of Washington
  • Jillian Pintye, PhD, MPH, RN, School of Nursing, University of Washington
  • Christopher Longenecker, MD,  Department of Global Health and the Division of Cardiology, University of Washington

Londrina, Brazil

Co-Investigators

  • Rafael Deminice, PhD (site PI) – Physical Education, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Brazil
  • Susana Wiechmann, MD, PhD – Division of Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine Department, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, Brazil

Support

This study is funded by the University of Washington School of Nursing Research and Intramural Funding Program, and the University of Washington Office of Global Affairs Global Innovation Fund