Weill Medical College of Cornell University
The goal of this early-stage study is to support the heart health of home health aides, a workforce that provides care for adults at home but whose own health has been historically poor. To do this, the study will use Life's Essential 8 (LE8), a program developed by the American Heart Association (AHA) that promotes cardiovascular wellness through education and lifestyle changes. The program has been adapted specifically for home health aides and will be delivered by trained "peer coaches," who are fellow home health aides who will help guide participants through the program. The main questions the study aims to answer are: * Will the LE8 intervention, which provides cardiovascular health education and support with positive thinking, be used by home health aides and do they like it? * Does the LE8 intervention actually improve home health aides' cardiovascular health after the intervention's conclusion compared to baseline? Participants will be paired with a trained peer coach and take part in the 10-week program over the course of 6 months. The program includes support for healthy behaviors and positive thinking, with the goal of making lasting improvements in cardiovascular health.
The goal of the proposed project is to improve the cardiovascular (CV) health of home health aides and attendants (HHAs), one of the fastest growing sectors of the healthcare industry, comprised predominantly of middle-aged women of color with a high burden of CV disease risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, physical inactivity, and smoking. Improving HHAs' cardiovascular health and well-being is not only critical to their own longevity as a workforce, but it has the potential to improve the health of the patients for whom they care. The overall goal of the study is to…
Inclusion Criteria Home Health Aide Participants * Currently working as a home health aide * Speak English or Spanish * ≥ 18 years of age * Have low CV Health as assessed by LE8 components made up by physical health measurements (blood pressure, BMI) and general self-reported health (physical activity, diet, smoking, sleep); calculated to be a score of 0-50 (the total score ranges from 0-100) Peer Coach Participants * Previously participated in and completed Peer Coach training as part of the prior LE8 study (WCM IRB #24-11028134), or are members of the Weill Cornell Medicine study team wh…
This intervention includes structured bi-weekly peer coach (PC) Zoom or telephone sessions and a cardiovascular health curriculum including links to AHA resources. During the 1:1 session, PCs will elicit participants' challenges and successes from the previous week, track progress, and set goals (behavioral targets). PCs will use cognitive training techniques to teach participants how to manage negative thinking and replace it with positive thinking and goal setting. They will be encouraged to work towards these goals and monitor their progress (i.e. getting more physical activity on the job).