Expanding Exercise Programming for Veterans Through Telehealth (CDA 22-066)

Summary

The goal of this study is to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a group telehealth exercise program for Veterans with lower extremity osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: This is a randomized pilot trial where Veterans (n=50) receive a group telehealth exercise program (3 months), followed by an exercise maintenance phase (6 months) that includes either text messaging alone or text messaging plus group telehealth exercise booster sessions. The primary outcomes for this study are feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Feasibility will be assessed through number and source of referrals, recruitment, and retention. Acceptability will be assessed through surveys and interviews for participants and providers addressing reasons for participation, satisfaction, perceived appropriateness, and overall experience containing Likert scales and both yes/no and open-ended questions. Exploratory outcomes, assessed at multiple time points during the course of the study, will measure changes in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and changes in performance measure and physical activity assessed remotely through individual telehealth sessions. Data will be collected at baseline, 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-up.

Eligibility

Age range

18+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

No

Interventions

• Behavioral
  Group Telehealth Exercise Sessions with text messaging plus booster sessions

  Participants receive 3 months of group telehealth exercise initiation plus text messaging followed by 6 months of text messaging plus monthly group telehealth exercise booster sessions.

Location