A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial
Abstract Background Older adults in disadvantaged urban communities contend with chronic psychosocial and environmental stressors that contribute to high levels of chronic pain-related disability. African American older adults are especially at risk due to the health-damaging effects of structural r...
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BMC
2025-06-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08892-w |
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| author | Mary R. Janevic Rebecca Lindsay Elizabeth Brines Kimberlydawn Wisdom Sheria G. Robinson-Lane Robin Brewer Susan L. Murphy John Piette Leslie Grijalva Michael Anderson Jaye Clement Courtney Latimer |
| author_facet | Mary R. Janevic Rebecca Lindsay Elizabeth Brines Kimberlydawn Wisdom Sheria G. Robinson-Lane Robin Brewer Susan L. Murphy John Piette Leslie Grijalva Michael Anderson Jaye Clement Courtney Latimer |
| author_sort | Mary R. Janevic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Older adults in disadvantaged urban communities contend with chronic psychosocial and environmental stressors that contribute to high levels of chronic pain-related disability. African American older adults are especially at risk due to the health-damaging effects of structural racism. The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a chronic pain self-management intervention tailored for this context. STEPS (Seniors using Technology to Engage in Pain Self-management) is a community health worker (CHW)-led chronic pain self-management program designed for older adults living in underserved communities. It is a 7-week intervention that includes (a) brief videos presenting pain self-management skills; (b) weekly telephone calls with a CHW to support the practice of new skills and goal setting; and (c) tracking daily step counts using a wearable activity tracker. CHWs also screen for social needs and make appropriate community referrals. Methods We will randomly assign 414 participants to the STEPS intervention or a control condition in a 1:1 ratio, stratifying by gender and age group. We hypothesize that participants in the STEPS intervention will have greater improvements in pain interference and pain intensity, and a more positive Global Impression of Change immediately following the intervention and at 12 months from baseline. Control group members are invited to attend a workshop covering key intervention content after the final data collection point. Discussion Growing evidence supports the effectiveness of CHWs as culturally sensitive liaisons between healthcare systems and underserved communities. If the STEPS program is shown to significantly improve pain-related outcomes, STEPS could be integrated into healthcare systems to more comprehensively treat chronic pain while reducing barriers to care and promoting non-pharmacological pain management strategies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05278234. Registered on March 3, 2022. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-65cc39c1444b44d8b9cc6d0a861ac2db |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1745-6215 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Trials |
| spelling | doaj-art-65cc39c1444b44d8b9cc6d0a861ac2db2025-08-20T02:30:59ZengBMCTrials1745-62152025-06-0126111210.1186/s13063-025-08892-wA community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trialMary R. Janevic0Rebecca Lindsay1Elizabeth Brines2Kimberlydawn Wisdom3Sheria G. Robinson-Lane4Robin Brewer5Susan L. Murphy6John Piette7Leslie Grijalva8Michael Anderson9Jaye Clement10Courtney Latimer11School of Public Health, University of MichiganSchool of Public Health, University of MichiganSchool of Public Health, University of MichiganHenry Ford HealthUniversity of Michigan School of NursingUniversity of Michigan School of InformationUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolSchool of Public Health, University of MichiganHenry Ford HealthHenry Ford HealthHenry Ford HealthHenry Ford HealthAbstract Background Older adults in disadvantaged urban communities contend with chronic psychosocial and environmental stressors that contribute to high levels of chronic pain-related disability. African American older adults are especially at risk due to the health-damaging effects of structural racism. The purpose of this study is to test the efficacy of a chronic pain self-management intervention tailored for this context. STEPS (Seniors using Technology to Engage in Pain Self-management) is a community health worker (CHW)-led chronic pain self-management program designed for older adults living in underserved communities. It is a 7-week intervention that includes (a) brief videos presenting pain self-management skills; (b) weekly telephone calls with a CHW to support the practice of new skills and goal setting; and (c) tracking daily step counts using a wearable activity tracker. CHWs also screen for social needs and make appropriate community referrals. Methods We will randomly assign 414 participants to the STEPS intervention or a control condition in a 1:1 ratio, stratifying by gender and age group. We hypothesize that participants in the STEPS intervention will have greater improvements in pain interference and pain intensity, and a more positive Global Impression of Change immediately following the intervention and at 12 months from baseline. Control group members are invited to attend a workshop covering key intervention content after the final data collection point. Discussion Growing evidence supports the effectiveness of CHWs as culturally sensitive liaisons between healthcare systems and underserved communities. If the STEPS program is shown to significantly improve pain-related outcomes, STEPS could be integrated into healthcare systems to more comprehensively treat chronic pain while reducing barriers to care and promoting non-pharmacological pain management strategies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05278234. Registered on March 3, 2022.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08892-wChronic painCommunity health workersBehavioral interventionSocial determinants of healthmHealthAging |
| spellingShingle | Mary R. Janevic Rebecca Lindsay Elizabeth Brines Kimberlydawn Wisdom Sheria G. Robinson-Lane Robin Brewer Susan L. Murphy John Piette Leslie Grijalva Michael Anderson Jaye Clement Courtney Latimer A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial Trials Chronic pain Community health workers Behavioral intervention Social determinants of health mHealth Aging |
| title | A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial |
| title_full | A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial |
| title_fullStr | A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial |
| title_short | A community health worker-delivered intervention (STEPS) to support chronic pain self-management among older adults in an underserved urban community: protocol for a randomized trial |
| title_sort | community health worker delivered intervention steps to support chronic pain self management among older adults in an underserved urban community protocol for a randomized trial |
| topic | Chronic pain Community health workers Behavioral intervention Social determinants of health mHealth Aging |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-025-08892-w |
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