The proposed study will develop, test, and collect implementation data on a youth-led hypertension (HTN) education intervention, which will act as an electronic tool to guide youth through learning and then teaching adults on how to achieve better HTN control. Adults with HTN and youth will be recruited for user-centered design sessions to provide input in the development of a youth-led HTN education digital badge. The investigators will then recruit adult emergency department (ED) patients with uncontrolled HTN (blood pressure (BP) ≥130/80 mm Hg) who know (friend or family member) a youth (14-24 years old) and the youth themselves for a RCT. The adult plus youth dyad will be randomized to either: 1) intervention arm- 6-week youth-led HTN education digital badge at home- or 2) control arm- 6-week youth job readiness digital badge at home. In addition to the primary study outcome of adult BP change 2-months post-intervention, the investigator will collect secondary outcomes of HTN knowledge and youth self-efficacy, as well as implementation metrics of intervention acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity. Due to challenges recruiting youth through adults in the ED, we will be adding a cohort to the study where we will recruit interested youth from New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School (NBHSTHS). Specific aims are: Aim 1: Create a youth-led HTN education digital badge by means of user-centered design methods and community engagement with adults with HTN and youth to obtain input on the contents of the digital badge prior to implementation. Aim 1a: The hypertension knowledge assessment being used in the study has not been used before on youth or Spanish-speaking populations, so the investigators will obtain feedback on the assessment from these groups. Aim 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of a youth-led HTN education digital badge intervention on the primary outcome of mean systolic BP and diastolic BP change in adults with uncontrolled HTN at 2-months post-intervention compared to the control group (for participants recruited from the ED). Additionally, evaluate change in HTN knowledge and youth self-efficacy. Aim 3: Evaluate the implementation process of the youth-led HTN education digital badge by collecting qualitative and quantitative data on acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity of the intervention by participants.
The proposed study will integrate user-centered design, community engagement, and implementation science, with a randomized controlled trial (RCT), to develop, test, and collect implementation data on a youth-led hypertension (HTN) education digital badge. The badge will act as an electronic tool to guide youth through learning and then teaching adults on how to achieve better HTN control. Adults with HTN and youth will be recruited for user-centered design sessions to provide input in the development of a youth-led HTN education digital badge. The investigators will then recruit adult emergency department (ED) patients with uncontrolled HTN (blood pressure (BP) ≥130/80 mm Hg) who know (friend or family member) a youth (14-24 years old) and the youth themselves for a RCT. The adult plus youth dyad will be randomized to either: 1) intervention arm- 6-week youth-led HTN education digital badge at home- or 2) control arm- 6-week youth job readiness digital badge at home. In addition to the primary study outcome of adult BP change 2-months post-intervention, the investigator will collect secondary outcomes of HTN knowledge and youth self-efficacy, as well as implementation metrics of intervention acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity. Due to challenges recruiting youth through adults in the ED, we will be adding a cohort to the study. For this new cohort of the study, we will recruit interested youth from New Brunswick Health Sciences Technology High School (NBHSTHS). Students will be asked to pair themselves with an adult (18+) (preference for adult who has been diagnosed with hypertension, but not mandatory) with an existing relationship with the student where it would be feasible to complete an online module together 1 hour per week for 6 weeks. The adult must be fluent in English or Spanish and the student must be able to speak the fluent language of the adult. We will evaluate the youth-led digital hypertension (HTN) education intervention- an electronic tool to guide youth through learning and then teaching and supporting adults on how to control hypertension (for adults with hypertension) and how to avoid it (for adults without hypertension). Outcomes of interest are HTN knowledge, confidence in HTN management, and health behavior changes in participants, which will be obtained through pre- and post- intervention assessments. We will also be exploring outcomes of participant acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity of the intervention. Specific aims are: Aim 1: Create a youth-led HTN education digital badge by means of user-centered design methods and community engagement with adults with HTN and youth to obtain input on the contents of the digital badge prior to implementation. Aim 1a: The hypertension knowledge assessment being used in the study has not been used before on youth or Spanish-speaking populations, so the investigators will obtain feedback on the assessment from these groups. Aim 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of a youth-led HTN education digital badge intervention on the primary outcome of mean systolic BP and diastolic BP change in adults with uncontrolled HTN at 2-months post-intervention compared to the control group (for participants recruited from the ED). Additionally, evaluate change in HTN knowledge and youth self-efficacy. Aim 3: Evaluate the implementation process of the youth-led HTN education digital badge by collecting qualitative and quantitative data on acceptability, feasibility, and fidelity of the intervention by participants.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
64
The intervention is a youth-led HTN education digital intervention, which will be comprised of a 6-week playlist of one module per week comprising the playlist. Youth will learn from the module and will teach the adult in their dyad about hypertension education in each week's themed module.
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
School Cohort: Hypertension Knowledge (Youth and Adult)
Using 21-question assessment adapted from Williams et al.'s 1998 hypertension knowledge tool. Results reported are the mean number of questions correct out of 21.
Time frame: At end of 6-week intervention, and 1 month post-6-week intervention
ED Cohort: Hypertension Knowledge (Youth and Adult)
Using assessment adapted from Williams et al.'s 1998 hypertension knowledge tool
Time frame: Baseline and 1 week and 2 months post-intervention completion
ED Cohort: Youth Self-efficacy
Using a 3-item investigator-created assessment tool on confidence in managing high blood pressure
Time frame: Baseline and 1 week and 2 months post-intervention completion
School Cohort: Youth Self-efficacy
To measure youth confidence helping an adult manage hypertension, investigators created a 3-item assessment from 1 (not at all confident) to 10 (totally confident), on confidence to 1) teach, 2) encourage, and 3) help an adult lower their BP. The outcome measure represents the mean for each of the three items.
Time frame: At end of 6-week intervention and 1 month post-6-week intervention
ED Cohort: Adult Blood Pressure Self-care
Using the Adult Blood Pressure Self-Care Scale (Warren-Findlow et al.)
Time frame: Baseline and 1 week and 2 months post-intervention completion
School Cohort: Adult Blood Pressure Self-care
Mean using the 10-question Adult Blood Pressure Self-Care Scale (Peters \& Templin, 2010), which states: "In general, how often are the following statements true about you?" on a scale of 1-Never to 7-Always for self-reported frequency of behaviors (e.g. diet, exercise) that control BP. (e.g.: "I am eating a low-salt diet each day.")
Time frame: At end of 6-week intervention and 1 month post-6-week intervention
ED Cohort: Adult Self-efficacy to Manage HTN
Using Adult Self-Efficacy to Manage Hypertension Scale (Warren-Findlow et al.)
Time frame: Baseline and 1 week and 2 months post-intervention completion
School Cohort: Adult Self-efficacy to Manage HTN
Mean using the 5-question Adult Self-Efficacy to Manage Hypertension Scale (Warren-Findlow et al.) which asks about confidence in managing BP control behaviors on a scale of 1-not at all confident to 10-totally confident.
Time frame: At end of 6-week intervention and 1 month post-6-week intervention
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