Real-Time Air Quality Information During Walking Exercise in Heart and Lung Rehabilitation
Tests real-time air pollution guidance for people exercising in heart or lung rehabilitation.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Effectiveness of Pollution Monitoring in Clinical Exercise Rehabilitation
Key facts
- Where
- Leicester, United KingdomSee the site
Where in United Kingdom
- Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Groby RoadLeicester, United KingdomNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- University of Leicester
- Trial code
- NCT07500948
- Record updated
- 5 October 2026
- Original description
The primary objective of EPIC-AIR is to evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of integrating real-time air pollution monitoring into cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes via an online platform that delivers both exercise prescription and air pollution guidance. Specific objectives are: (1) to determine whether access to real-time air quality data reduces modelled ambient pollution exposure (PM2.5, PM10 and NO2) during outdoor physical activity in CR/PR patients and healthy volunteers; (2) to assess the feasibility of the trial design, including recruitment, randomisation, retention, adherence and completeness of outcome data; (3) to measure the impact of the intervention on physical activity levels, health-related quality of life and cardiovascular biomarkers; and (4) to inform the design and sample size of a future definitive randomised controlled trialRead full original descriptionShow less
Effectiveness of Pollution Monitoring in Clinical Exercise Rehabilitation (EPIC-AIR)
The primary objective of EPIC-AIR is to evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of integrating real-time air pollution monitoring into cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes via an online platform that delivers both exercise prescription and air pollution guidance. Specific objectives are: (1) to determine whether access to real-time air quality data reduces modelled ambient pollution exposure (PM2.5, PM10 and NO2) during outdoor physical activity in CR/PR patients and healthy volunteers; (2) to assess the feasibility of the trial design, including recruitment, randomisation, retention, adherence and completeness of outcome data; (3) to measure the impact of the intervention on physical activity levels, health-related quality of life and cardiovascular biomarkers; and (4) to inform the design and sample size of a future definitive randomised controlled trial
Inclusion: Cohort A: Patients with long-term conditions Inclusion criteria for Cohort A are: male or female adults aged ≥18 years; clinical diagnosis of one or more of asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease (ILD), coronary heart disease (CHD), or heart failure (HF), and signed off for exercise rehabilitation by a clinician; ownership of a GPS-enabled smartphone with internet access; ability to walk outdoors for a minimum of 5 minutes without feeling uneasy or unsteady; availability to complete the 1-week baseline period, 12-week intervention and 3-month post-intervention follow-up within the planned study period; willingness and ability to give informed consent; and willingness to wear a Fitbit device for >70% of the study duration; Inclusion criteria for Cohort B are identical to Cohort A, with the exception that participants must have no diagnosis of asthma, COPD, ILD, CHD, or HF.
Exclusion: Exclusion criteria for both cohorts are: diagnosis of dementia, learning disability, severe mental health disorders (excluding depression or anxiety), or epilepsy; receiving palliative care; insufficient English language ability to understand study documentation and use the platform; having been advised not to exercise by a healthcare professional within the past 12 months; currently pregnant; presence of chest pain at rest; and marked unsteadiness when standing or walking.