There is no conflict of interest.
Citation
Wilson, M.G., DeJoy, D.M., Vandenberg, R.J., Padilla, H.M., Haynes, N.J., Zuercher, H., Corso, P., Lorig, K., & Smith, M.L. (2021). Translating CDSMP to the workplace: Results of the Live Healthy Work Healthy Program. American Journal of Health Promotion, 35(4), 491-502. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117120968031 [CDSMP versus Control]
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) on health outcomes. The authors investigated similar research questions for another contrast, the profile of which can be found here.
- Live Healthy, Work Healthy (LHWH) program: Translating CDSMP to the workplace: Results of the Live Healthy Work Healthy Program (Wilson et al., 2021) | CLEAR
- The study was a randomized controlled trial that assigned worksites to the treatment group (received the CDSMP) or control group. Using questionnaires and statistical models, the authors compared the outcomes of the treatment and control group members.
- The study found no significant differences in health outcomes between the treatment and control groups.
- This study receives a high evidence rating. This means we would be confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.
Intervention Examined
Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP)
Features of the Intervention
The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) was designed to help individuals manage their chronic health conditions effectively. The program consisted of weekly workshops lasting 2.5 hours each, conducted over a six-week period. Participants learned essential skills for managing symptoms, maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and improving communication with healthcare providers. Key activities of the workshops included interactive discussions, action planning, behavior modeling, problem-solving techniques, decision-making and symptom management, such as exercise, communication, and medication management. Participants were required to be at least 50 years old and have at least one chronic condition. The CDSMP was implemented at various worksites in rural counties in Georgia and Tennessee, with staff from the YMCA trained to facilitate the program.
Features of the Study
The study was a randomized controlled trial. Of the 9 eligible worksites, four were randomly assigned to the treatment group and five were randomly assigned to the control group. The individuals in the treatment group participated in the CDSMP program while the individuals in the control group did not participate in the program. The study sample included 111 employees in the treatment group and 170 in the control group. In the treatment group, 95% of the participants were women and the average age was 45.3 years. The racial breakdown included 59% White, 40% Black/African American, 2% Hispanic, and 1% other race. Among them, 8% had a high school diploma or less, 31% earned $40,000 or less annually, and the average number of chronic conditions was 2.4. In the control group, 79% of the participants were women and the average age was 46.9 years. The racial breakdown included 62% White, 37% Black/African American, 2% Hispanic, and 1% other race. Also, 6% had a high school diploma or less, 37% earned $40,000 or less annually, and the average number of chronic conditions was 3.
The authors used self-administered questionnaires to collect participants' demographic characteristics, employment information, measures of disease self-management, and information on health behaviors. For the treatment group, data were collected at pretest, posttest (6 months post-intervention), and follow-up (12 months post-intervention). For the control group, data were collected at baseline (6 months before the intervention), pretest, posttest (6 months post-intervention), and follow-up (12 months post-intervention). The authors used statistical models to estimate the differences in disease self-management and health behaviors between the groups during the intervention period (from pretest to 6 months post-intervention).
Findings
Health and safety
- The study found no significant differences between the CDSMP and control groups in sleep quality, chronic disease self-efficacy, pain perception, mentally unhealthy days, physically unhealthy days, stress levels, fatigue, and health interference.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The authors collected pre-assignment baseline data for the control group only and used the pretest data as the baseline across the groups. In addition, the study relied on self-report measures from the questionnaires which could have introduced biases in the findings.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is high because it was based on a well-implemented randomized controlled trial. This means we would be confident that any estimated effects would be attributable to Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) and not to other factors. However, the study did not find statistically significant effects.