Purpose
To determine the feasibility and potential efficacy of a self-management program that combines cognitive-behavioral strategies with exercise for use by seniors with chronic back pain, and to assess for possible race/ethnicity differences in program impact.
Design/Methods
Sixty-nine participants attending senior centers in New York City enrolled in the 8-week group-based program, with approximately equal numbers of African Americans (n=24), Hispanics (n=25), and non-Hispanic whites (n=20) enrolling. Participants provided weekly input on their perceived understanding and usefulness of program components. Efficacy outcomes included pain-related disability, as measured by the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), pain intensity, pain self-efficacy, depressive symptom score, social activity, and functional status.
Results
Eighty percent of enrollees completed the program, and 84% of program participants indicated they did the weekly practice/homework exercises. Program content was rated as understandable and highly useful to participants. Significant decreases in RMDQ scores were found for non-Hispanic white (adjusted change score −3.53), African American (−3.89), and Hispanic (−8.45), participants. Significant improvements in all other efficacy outcomes (pain intensity, social activity, activities of daily living, depressive symptoms) were observed, but only for Hispanic participants.
Conclusions
These results confirm that implementation of the protocol in urban senior centers is feasible, and the program shows potential efficacy in affecting pain-related disability among a diverse population of older adults. The race/ethnicity differences observed in the current study merit further investigation.
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