To evaluate the effectiveness of Take Heart, a behavioral/educational program for adults age 50+ with heart disease, or with at least two risk factors for heart disease, that helps them to better manage their health condition(s). Take Heart is a new version of an evidence-based program that has recently been adapted to be suitable for the needs of adults residing in Detroit.
In this study, a heart disease self-management program will be tested in a low-income, predominantly African-American community via a partnership with the Detroit Area Agency on Aging (DAAA), the Detroit Medical Center (DMC), and University of Michigan School of Public Health's Center for Managing Chronic Disease (CMCD). The specific aims of the research are to: (1) adapt existing program materials to be appropriate for the new target population, getting feedback from various sources including focus group interviews; (2) conduct a pilot study of the adapted "Take Heart" program; (3) refine the intervention and conduct a randomized trial with 376 participants age 50 years and over, to assess health outcomes; (4) assess the translation and implementation of the intervention in the target setting and identify factors that help and hinder the process; (5) assess cost savings associated with the intervention; and (6) develop guidelines for "scaling up", that is, for replicating the program in other low-income areas through the national network of Area Agencies on Aging.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
453
Participants receive an evidence-based heart disease self management program consisting of a combination of five two and a half hour group sessions and telephone counseling offered by a trained facilitator employed by the Detroit Area Agency on Aging. The program is designed so that participants select an area to work on (e.g., diet, exercise, medication taking, communication with health care professionals) and receive support, information, and encouragement from group members and program facilitators, to help them reach their goals.
University of Michigan, School of Public Health
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Hospitalizations
This will be measured by asking participants to report the number of nights they have stayed overnight in the hospital during the past year, for something related to their own health. We will ask this at baseline and then at the 12 month mark after the completion of the baseline survey, so that we can compare the year prior to the intervention to the year they completed the intervention. In addition, when possible, we will verify self-reported hospitalizations with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data from our partners at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). We will only be able to look into the EMRs of those participants that are patients at the DMC. Change will be indicated by difference between count at baseline and count at follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline and 12-month follow up
Emergency Department Visits
This will be measured by asking participants to report the number of times they went to the emergency department for something related to their own health, during the past year. We will ask this at baseline and then at the 12 month mark after the completion of the baseline survey, so that we can compare the year prior to the intervention to the year they completed the intervention. In addition, when possible, we will verify self-reported Emergency Department visits with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) data from our partners at the Detroit Medical Center (DMC). We will only be able to look into the EMRs of those participants that are patients at the DMC. Change will be indicated by difference between count at baseline and count at follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline and 12 month follow up
Health-related Quality of Life
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was measured with the PROMIS-29 (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-29) profile measure, which assesses depression, anxiety, pain interference, physical function, fatigue, satisfaction with social role participation, and sleep disturbance (4 items each, 5 point Likert scales). Higher values indicate poorer health. One item (11 point scale) measures pain intensity on a scale of 0 -10, 0=no pain, 10=worst pain). The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. https://www.assessmentcenter.net/documents/PROMIS%20Profile%20Scoring%20Manual.pdf This table indicates the mean score in each domain at the 12-month follow up time point for both intervention and control groups, as well as the difference between the means of the two groups at the 12-month time point.
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Time frame: Baseline and 12-month follow-up
Cardiac Symptom Experience
The cardiac symptom subscale of the Symptom and Health Problem Profile (Janz et al., 1999) asks about the frequency of chest pain/discomfort; shortness of breath; waking up from sleep because of chest pain or pressure; waking up from sleep because of shortness of breath or difficulty breathing; and irregular heartbeat or palpitations (not present, once or twice/week, a few times/week, once/day, several times/day) in the prior 12 months. Symptom frequency (0 to 4) was summed, yielding an overall symptom burden score that ranged from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicate worse health. Change is indicated by the difference in mean frequency from baseline to follow-up.
Time frame: Baseline and 12-month follow-up