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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03377634

A Mobile Intervention to Reduce Pain and Improve Health (MORPH)

Chronic pain contributes to declining health and function in older adults; effects that are intensified by obesity and sedentary (sitting) behavior. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a novel, patient-centered intervention to reduce pain and improve physical function in older, obese adults. The study will utilize a combination of telephone based coaching and smartphone tools to deliver this novel intervention to decrease both body weight and sitting behavior. The long-term goals of this project are to test the efficacy of the intervention and to develop it as a tool for clinicians to provide outside-of-clinic patient-centered support for overweight/obese older adults with chronic pain.

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Key information

Conditions

Chronic Pain Behavior Body Weight Body Weight Changes Motor Activity Neurologic Manifestations Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sedentary Behavior Sedentary Lifestyle Signs and Symptoms Weight Loss

Age range

65 year–79 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Pain Center

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States

About this study

Chronic pain has emerged as an urgent age-related health issue that significantly effects physical functioning and quality of life, with the unfavorable effects worsened by both obesity and sedentary behavior. The annual cost of pain in the United States is nearly 30% higher than the combined costs of cancer and diabetes. In 2016, the NIH called for a National Pain Strategy to: 1) expand non-pharmacological treatment options in older adults, who are particularly susceptible to the side effects of opioid and other pain medications; 2) develop accessible treatments that are tailored to individuals; and 3) increase the development of self-management programs for chronic pain. The purpose of this R-21 is to develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel, patient-centered intervention to reduce chronic pain and improve physical functioning in older adults, leveraging the combination of telecoaching and individually-adaptive mHealth tools to decrease both body mass and sedentary behavior. A pilot randomized controlled trial will be conducted to provide initial evidence for effect sizes (pain and physical function) associated with the proposed intervention, and to estimate the sample size needed for a full scale randomized controlled trial design that compares the effects of the intervention versus usual care on pain ratings and physical function in overweight/obese older adults with chronic pain.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Own smartphone
  • Pain in 2 of 5 areas (i.e., back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees) on most days during the previous 3 months
  • No contraindication for participation in exercise with approval for participation by their physician
  • Obese (BMI=30-45 kg/m2)
  • Weight-stable (i.e., no weight loss or gain > 5% in the past 6 months)
  • Low-active (i.e., engaging in less than 2 days/week of structured physical activity for at least 20 minutes).
  • Approved for participation by LMC Pain Center Director and Dr. Brooks
  • Willingness to provide consent; Agree to all study procedures and assessments; Able to provide own transportation to study visits
  • Access to home Wi-Fi and smartphone device

Exclusion criteria

  • Dependent on cane or walker
  • >1 fall (injurious or non-injurious) in past year
  • Vision insufficient to read a smartphone screen, unable to read
  • Participation in regular resistance training and/or > 20 mins/d of aerobic exercise in past 6 months
  • No contraindication to exercise
  • Unable to walk without assistive devices
  • Cognitive impairment as indicated by a Montreal Cognitive Assessment score < 22
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (>160/90 mmHg);
  • Current or recent past (within 1 year) severe symptomatic heart disease, uncontrolled angina, stroke, chronic respiratory disease requiring oxygen, neurological or hematological disease; cancer requiring treatment in past yr, except non-melanoma skin cancers
  • Regular use of: growth hormones, oral steroids, or prescription osteoporosis medications
  • Current participation in other research study targeting pain, physical activity, or weight loss

Treatment and study plan

MORPH

Behavioral

Participants will engage in 12 weekly group coaching sessions discussion behavioral approaches to pain management, weight loss, and daily physical activity. The first three sessions (i.e., weeks 1 - 3) will occur in-person, and the remaining 9 will take place via telephone. All intervention participants will receive access to an activity monitor, smart scale, and smartphone app that aims to provide support for daily physical activity and weight loss.

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in PROMIS Pain Intensity Scale

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    The Pain Intensity Scale tasks participants with rating how much they hurt on a scale of 1 (had no pain) to 5 (very severe). Final scores are given as T-scores, with higher scores representing worse intensity. PROMIS scores are a t-score representing relationships with an estimated population average collected on a general US sample of adults as well as clinical samples. On this t distribution, 50 represents the population average with a standard deviation of 10. Thus, a score of 55 represents a score that is a half-standard deviation about the US national average, and a 40 represents a score that is 1 standard deviation below the national average. Scores were computed using the HealthMeasures.org scoring service as recommended for PROMIS measures.

  2. Change in PROMIS Pain Interference Scale

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    The Pain Interference Scale captures the impact of pain on valued areas of an individual's life (e.g., how much did pain interfere with your day to day activities) on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). Final scores are given as T-scores, with higher scores representing worse interference. PROMIS scores are a t-score representing relationships with an estimated population average collected on a general US sample of adults as well as clinical samples. On this t distribution, 50 represents the population average with a standard deviation of 10. Thus, a score of 55 represents a score that is a half-standard deviation about the US national average, and a 40 represents a score that is 1 standard deviation below the national average. Scores were computed using the HealthMeasures.org scoring service as recommended for PROMIS measures.

  3. Change in Short Physical Performance Battery

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    This test of lower-extremity function consists of 4-m walk at usual pace, a timed repeated chair stand, and 3 increasingly difficult standing balance tests. Each measure is assigned a categorical score ranging from 0 (inability to complete the test) to 4 (best performance) resulting in a final score of 0-12. Higher scores denotes better outcomes.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Weight

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    Weight will be assessed weekly.

  2. Activity Minutes

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 12

    Activity Minutes will be assessed using ActivPal activity monitors (PAL Technologies Ltd, Glasgow, UK) worn at the thigh for 7 consecutive days. We will assess (a) number of daily minutes spent in light-intensity physical activity as reported by the ActivPal (range: 0-1440, more minutes of light activity are favorable); (b) number of daily minutes spent in moderate-intensity physical activity as reported by the ActivPal (range: 0-1440, more minutes of moderate activity are favorable).

  3. Sitting Time

    Time frame: Week 12

    daily minutes of sedentary time as recorded on the ActivPALTM 4 device

  4. Sit to Stand Transitions

    Time frame: Baseline and Week 13

    Transitions will be assessed using ActivPal activity monitors (PAL Technologies Ltd, Glasgow, UK) worn at the thigh for 7 consecutive days. We will assess number of daily transitions from sitting to non-sitting behavior, captured via the ActivPal inclinometer (range: 0 - infinity; a higher number of transitions are favorable).

  5. Participant Retention

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    The extent to which participants were retained in the study (minimum retention goal of 80%). The number of participants that complete the study over the number that were enrolled.

  6. Utilization of Study Application

    Time frame: Baseline to 12 weeks

    The extent to which participants utilize the study application, as defined by an average weekly use of 7 application accesses per week for the duration of the study period.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute on Aging (NIA)

Registry information

Official study title

A Mobile Intervention to Reduce Pain and Improve Health (MORPH) in Obese Older Adults

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Dec 19, 2017
Registry last updated
Jan 22, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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