Digital physical activity and emotional well-being intervention: Kidney BEAM trial design and baseline data

The prevalence of physical inactivity and poor psychological well-being contributes to a substantial reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). While physical activity-focused rehabilitation has been identified as a promising intervention to improve HRQoL across the CKD trajectory, access to resources and support is limited.

Digital health interventions have the potential to overcome some of these barriers, but the evidence for them in the CKD population is not well developed. The aim of the Kidney BEAM trial is to establish whether use of an evidence-based, online physical activity programme (Kidney BEAM) leads to improvements in HRQoL in people with CKD. 

Investigators recruited adults with CKD from 11 NHS hospitals in England for this prospective, randomised waitlist-controlled trial. Following baseline assessment, participants were assigned (1:1) to the intervention (Kidney BEAM) or waitlist control group (routine care). The primary objective was to evaluate the difference between the groups in HRQoL using the mental composite score (MCS) of the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQoL) SF1.3 questionnaire. Secondary objectives included establishing the effects of Kidney BEAM on the KDQoL physical component summary score, kidney-specific scores, fatigue, life participation, depression and anxiety, physical function, clinical chemistry, healthcare utilisation and harms. All outcomes were measured at baseline and 12 weeks, whilst long-term HRQoL and adherence data were also collected at 6 months.

Of the 340 participants, 173 were randomised to Kidney BEAM and 167 to the waiting list, and the groups were well-matched for  age (mean, 53 years), sex, ethnicity and BMI. The baseline values for mean MSC and secondary outcomes were also similar in the two groups.

The results of this trial will address a knowledge gap in the use of digital health interventions that promote self-management of physical and emotional health for people with CKD, and will help to establish whether Kidney BEAM is a cost-effective method of enhancing the mental and physical well-being of people with CKD. Main results from the trial were presented at UK Kidney Week 2023 and are expected to be published this year. 

The full trial design and baseline data can be found here.