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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02988661

Women Empowered to Live With Lupus Study

The purpose of this research is to examine whether the Chronic Disease Self-management Program (CDSMP) would improve health outcomes and reduce health care use in African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The CDSMP is a generic, evidence-based self-management education program that has been shown to help people with chronic conditions to take control of their health problems. This study focuses on African American women with SLE because the CDSMP has not been widely studied in this population.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, United States

About this study

The CDSMP is an evidence-based, community-based, generic self-management program that consists of 6 weekly classes of two and a half hours each one, for six weeks. CDSMP classes are facilitated by certified peer leaders. Because the CDSMP is widely disseminated and available to the adult U.S. population through community centers, it may be a suitable and accessible option for African Americans with SLE, even though it is not specifically tailored to SLE or to African Americans. As the CDSMP has been primarily evaluated in predominantly white middle-class seniors with more common diseases (e.g. osteoarthritis, diabetes), the effectiveness of the CDSMP in helping African American women to self-manage SLE is unknown.

This study will examine the effectiveness of the CDSMP to improve patient-reported outcomes and reduce health care utilization in African American women with lupus. Using a two-group longitudinal cohort design with participants sampled from a parent population-based SLE cohort in Georgia, investigators will examine behaviors, health and healthcare outcomes, and the extent to which individual characteristics modify the effectiveness of the CDSMP.

The Georgians Organized Against Lupus (GOAL), a longitudinal cohort of patients with a validated diagnosis of SLE, will be used to enroll participants into the intervention. A random sample of African American women with SLE selected from the parent GOAL cohort will be recruited into the WELL (Women Empowered to Live with Lupus) cohort. WELL participants will attend the CDSMP classes in the community, along with people with other chronic illnesses. WELL participants will be asked to attend the CDSMP in the community and answer questionnaires at 4 select time periods before and after the program. Investigators will follow participant's progress for up to 18 months after they attend the CDSMP.

African American women from the GOAL cohort non-selected to be assigned to the intervention will comprise the usual care group. Participants will continue their longitudinal assessments as part of the GOAL cohort data collection efforts. Changes in outcomes for up to 18 months will be compared between WELL participants and the usual care group.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Currently participating in the GOAL study

Exclusion criteria

  • Participation in the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) in the past five years
  • Significant cognitive impairment

Treatment and study plan

Chronic Disease Self-management Program (CDSMP)

Behavioral

The CDSMP consists of 6 weekly classes of two and a half hours each one, for six weeks. A group of 10-16 people with different chronic conditions attend the classes together. Classes are facilitated by two certified leaders, one or both of whom are non-health professionals with chronic diseases. The workshop covers topics such as: 1) how to deal with frustration, fatigue, pain and isolation, 2) exercise for maintaining and improving strength, flexibility, and endurance, 3) communicating effectively with family, friends, and health professionals, 4) nutrition, 5) decision making, 6) appropriate use of medications and how to evaluate new treatments. Participants receive a companion book, Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions, and an audio relaxation CD, Relaxation for Mind and Body.

Other names: Living Well with a Chronic Condition Workshop

Primary outcomes

  1. Communication With Physician - Stanford 3Q Scale Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The Stanford 3Q Scale is a three-question measure that assesses communication between patients and physicians. The participant is asked to rank their responses using a 5-point Likert scale. Total scores range fro 0 to 5 and a higher score indicates better communication with physicians.

  2. Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Self-efficacy for Managing Medications and Treatments Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    Self-efficacy for managing medical care was assessed with the PROMIS Self-efficacy for Managing Medications and Treatments Short Form (SF) 8a instrument. This is an eight-item tool that quantifies the level of current confidence (from 1=not confident at all to 5=very confident) a person with a chronic condition has in taking and managing medication and other treatments in challenging situations (e.g., traveling, running out of medication, occurrence of side effects). Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation (SD) of 10. A higher score indicates better self-efficacy for managing medications and treatments; scores higher than 50 indicate greater self-efficacy for managing medical care compared to the reference population.

  3. PROMIS Global Health Physical Health Domain Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS for Global Health short form is a 10-item instrument representing multiple domains such as general health, quality of life, and mental health. Participants will be asked to respond to questions on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 represents poor health, and 5 represents excellent health. Total raw scores are calculated for two domains: Physical Health and Mental Health. Raw scores are further converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates better physical health; scores higher than 50 indicate greater physical health compared to the reference population..

  4. PROMIS Global Health Mental Health Domain Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS for Global Health short form is a 10-item instrument representing multiple domains such as general health, quality of life, and mental health. Participants will be asked to respond to questions on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 represents poor health, and 5 represents excellent health. Total raw scores are calculated for two domains: Physical Health and Mental Health. Raw scores are further converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates better mental health; scores higher than 50 indicate better mental health compared to the reference population.

  5. PROMIS Physical Function Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, 18

    The Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function SF 10b is a self-administered instrument that assesses self-reported capability rather than actual performance of physical activities. Participants are asked to respond to questions regarding the extent of their physical function. Responses range from 1 to 5, where 1 represents "unable to do" and 5 represents "without any difficulty". Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates better physical function capabilities; scores higher than 50 indicate greater physical function compared to the reference population.

  6. PROMIS Pain Interference Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Pain Interference SF 8a is a self-administered instrument that assesses the interference of pain on daily activities. Participants are asked to respond to questions regarding the extent of their pain. Responses range from 1 to 5, where 1 represents "not at all" and 5 represents "very much". Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A lower score indicates the least amount of pain interference; scores higher than 50 indicate greater pain interference compared to the reference population.

  7. PROMIS Fatigue Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Fatigue SF 8a is a self-administered instrument that assesses fatigue level within the past seven days. Participants are asked to respond to questions regarding fatigue frequency. Responses range from 1 to 5, where 1 represents "never" and five represents "always". Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10; scores higher than 50 indicate greater fatigue compared to the reference population.

  8. PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Sleep Disturbance SF 8a is a self-administered instrument to assess self-reported perceptions of sleep quality, sleep depth, and restoration associated with sleep. This includes perceived difficulties and concerns with getting to sleep or staying asleep, as well as perceptions of the adequacy of and satisfaction with sleep. It assesses sleep disturbance over the past seven days. Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates more sleep disturbance; scores higher than 50 indicate greater sleep disturbance compared to the reference population.

  9. PROMIS Anxiety Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Anxiety SF 8a is a self-administered instrument to assess emotional distress within the past seven days. Participants are asked to rate their anxiety level for various items ranked from 1 to 5, where 1 represents "never" and 5 represents "always". Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates high anxiety; scores higher than 50 indicate greater anxiety compared to the reference population.

  10. PROMIS Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, 18

    The PROMIS Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities SF 8a is a self-administered instrument to assess perceived ability to perform one's usual social roles and activities. Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates better perceived abilities; scores higher than 50 indicate better perceived abilities to participate in social activities and roles compared to the reference population.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Number of Participants at Each Activation Level of the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-10)

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-10) is a 10-item tool to assess an individual's knowledge, skill, and confidence for managing one's health and healthcare. Individuals who measure high on this assessment typically understand the importance of taking a pro-active role in managing their health and have the skills and confidence to do so. The PAM-10 survey measures individuals activation on a 0-100 scale, which are further grouped in 4 levels of activation along an empirically derived continuum. Activation Level 1 is "Disengaged & Overwhelmed" where knowledge of and adherence to healthcare and is low. Activation Level 2 is "Becoming Aware But Still Struggling" where individuals can set simple goals but believe health is out of their control. Activation Level 3 is "Taking Action & Gaining Control" where individuals are building self-management skills. Activation Level 4 is "Maintaining Behaviors & Pushing Further" where individuals are maintaining newly adopted behaviors.

  2. PROMIS Adult Self-Efficacy Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Adult Self-Efficacy SF 4a is a self-administered instrument to assess current level of confidence in managing symptoms of chronic conditions. Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates higher self-efficacy; scores higher than 50 indicate greater self-efficacy compared to the reference population.

  3. PROMIS Anger Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The PROMIS Anger SF 5a is a self-administered instrument to measure angry mood (irritability, frustration), negative social cognitions (interpersonal sensitivity, envy, disagreeableness), and efforts to control anger. Total raw scores are converted to T-scores by the Health Measures Scoring Service. The T-score rescales the raw score into a standardized score with a mean of 50 and an SD of 10. A higher score indicates more anger; scores higher than 50 indicate greater anger compared to the reference population.

  4. Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4) Score

    Time frame: Baseline, Months 6, 12, and 18

    The Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4) is the most widely used psychological instrument for measuring the perception of stress. Participants are asked to rank responses to each of the four items on a scale from 0 to 4, where zero means never and four means very often. Total scores range from 0 to 16 and a higher score indicates higher perceived stress.

  5. Hospitalization Rate

    Time frame: One year before and one year after the start of the study intervention (up to 2 years)

    The number of hospitalizations were collected from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) administrative data for the pre- and post-intervention period (up to two years). The hospitalization rate is the hospitalizations per 100 person years, adjusted for mortality and leaving the state of Georgia. For participants in the CDSMP group, data were collected for the period of one year before and one year after the date when the CDSMP workshop started. For participants receiving usual care, data were collected one year before and one year after the index date, which is when 50% of CDSMP participants started their first intervention class.

  6. Emergency Department Visit Rate

    Time frame: One year before and one year after the start of the study intervention (up to 2 years)

    The number of emergency department (ED) visits were collected from the Georgia DPH administrative data for the pre- and post-intervention period (up to two years). The emergency department visit rate is the emergency department visits per 100 person years, adjusted for mortality and leaving the state of Georgia. For participants in the CDSMP group, data were collected for the period of one year before and one year after the date when the CDSMP workshop started. For participants receiving usual care, data were collected one year before and one year after the index date, which is when 50% of CDSMP participants started their first intervention class.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Emory University

Other

Collaborators

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)

Registry information

Official study title

A Widespread Self-management Education Program to Reduce Health Disparities in African American Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Acronym: WELL

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2025
First posted
Dec 9, 2016
Registry last updated
Dec 15, 2025

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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