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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Dec;27(12):1299-1313.
doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.08.008. Epub 2019 Aug 13.

Effectiveness of a Disability Preventive Intervention for Minority and Immigrant Elders: The Positive Minds-Strong Bodies Randomized Clinical Trial

Margarita Alegría  1 , Walter Frontera  2 , Mario Cruz-Gonzalez  3 , Sheri Lapatin Markle  3 , Chau Trinh-Shevrin  4 , Ye Wang  3 , Lizbeth Herrera  3 , Rachel Zack Ishikawa  5 , Esther Velazquez  6 , Larimar Fuentes  3 , Yuying Guo  3 , Janet Pan  7 , Megan Cheung  8 , Jeanine Wong  9 , Urania Genatios  3 , Aida Jimenez  10 , Zorangelí Ramos  3 , Giselle Perez  5 , Josephine Yankau Wong  3 , Ching-King Chieng  3 , Stephen J Bartels  11 , Naihua Duan  12 , Patrick E Shrout  13
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of a Disability Preventive Intervention for Minority and Immigrant Elders: The Positive Minds-Strong Bodies Randomized Clinical Trial

Margarita Alegría et al. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To test the acceptability and effectiveness of a disability prevention intervention, Positive Minds-Strong Bodies (PMSB), offered by paraprofessionals to mostly immigrant elders in four languages.

Design: Randomized trial of 307 participants, equally randomized into intervention or enhanced usual care.

Setting: Community-based organizations in Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico serving minority elders. Data collected at baseline, 2, 6, and 12 months, between May 2015 and March 2019.

Participants: English-, Spanish-, Mandarin-, or Cantonese-speaking adults, age 60+, not seeking disability prevention services, but eligible per elevated mood symptoms and minor to moderate physical dysfunction.

Interventions: Ten individual sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy (PM) concurrently offered with 36 group sessions of strengthening exercise training (SB) over 6 months compared to enhanced usual care.

Measurements: Acceptability defined as satisfaction and attendance to >50% of sessions. Effectiveness determined by changes in mood symptoms (HSCL-25 and GAD-7), functional performance (SPPB), self-reported disability (LLFDI), and disability days (WHODAS 2.0).

Results: Around 77.6% of intervention participants attended over half of PM Sessions; 53.4% attended over half of SB sessions. Intent-to-treat analyses at 6 months showed significant intervention effects: improved functioning per SPPB and LLFDI, and lowered mood symptoms per HSCL-25. Intent-to-treat analyses at 12 months showed that effects remained significant for LLFDI and HSCL-25, and disability days (per WHODAS 2.0) significantly decreased 6-month after the intervention.

Conclusions: PMSB offered by paraprofessionals in community-based organizations demonstrates good acceptability and seems to improve functioning, with a compliance-benefit effect showing compliance as an important determinant of the intervention response.

Keywords: CHW; Racial/ethnic minority elders; anxiety; depression; disability; immigrants.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: No disclosures to report.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Study flow chart (CONSORT Diagram)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

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