University of Leicester and CCDC launch £5 million CARDIO-India trial to tackle cardiovascular disease among older adults in India. The five-year programme will test a technology-enabled, community-based model of care delivered through Mobile Medical Units and frontline health workers across 10 states.
£5 million programme for high-risk older adults
The University of Leicester, UK, and New Delhi-based Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) have launched “CARDIO-India – Integrated, co-developed intervention for detection and management of cardiometabolic risk factors in older Indians,” a £5 million (approximately ₹62 crore) research programme funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project will focus on adults aged 60 years and above who face a high risk of cardiovascular diseases but often lack access to regular screening and long-term management.
CARDIO-India will conduct a cluster-randomised controlled trial involving approximately 2,000 older adults, using 48 Mobile Health Units across 10 states, to improve blood pressure control and quality of life under real-world conditions. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, 12 months and 24 months to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of scaling the model.
Building on India’s Mobile Medical Units
The programme builds on the Government of India’s Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), established under the National Health Mission, to extend primary care to rural and semi-urban populations. CARDIO-India seeks to enhance this platform with integrated cardiometabolic risk detection and management tailored to older adults, recognising that more work is needed a decade after MMUs were introduced.
In contrast to conventional telemedicine models that depend on patients initiating consultations, CARDIO-India adopts a proactive, community-first design. Trained community health workers will visit older adults at home, perform clinical assessments and connect with specialists through an assisted telemedicine platform supported by a clinical decision support system.
Technology-enabled doorstep care and digital records
Each participating Mobile Health Unit will be equipped with devices such as an electronic stethoscope, AI-enabled ECG and handheld echocardiography to support comprehensive cardiovascular assessment in the community. The data generated through these encounters will feed into digital health records aligned with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission’s vision for longitudinal, interoperable patient records.
The formative phase of the programme will co-design interventions with patients, caregivers, clinicians and frontline workers, followed by a 24‑month intervention period within the trial. Investigators will examine clinical outcomes, patient experience, acceptability and implementation challenges to guide wider adoption if the model proves effective.
A response to India’s rapidly ageing population and CVD burden
India’s elderly population (60+ years) is projected to reach about 230 million by 2036, roughly 15% of the total population, with older adults likely to outnumber children around the middle of the century. Experts have warned that health systems must rapidly adapt to the needs of an ageing society, including chronic disease care and social protection.
Globally, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality, responsible for around 19.8–20.5 million deaths in 2021–2022, with roughly 80% of these occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Projections suggest that incident heart disease cases could rise by nearly 90% between 2025 and 2050, with CVD-related deaths increasing by more than 70%, underscoring the urgency of preventive and community-based strategies.
Multi-partner collaboration for healthy ageing
CCDC will lead on-ground implementation in India, while the University of Leicester brings expertise in cardiometabolic research, clinical trial methodology and health technologies. The programme will leverage HelpAge India’s Mobile Health Unit network and patient base to reach older adults, with AIIMS New Delhi and Nightingales Medical Trust providing specialist inputs on ageing and geriatric care, and Krea University contributing research and analytical support.
Additional academic partners include Queen Mary University of London and the University of Nottingham, enhancing the project’s multidisciplinary strength. In the long term, CARDIO-India aims to improve control of cardiovascular risk factors, enhance quality of life and increase health-adjusted life years among older Indians, while in the short term generating scalable evidence on technology-enabled community care models.
