Description): Women with the chronic disabling condition of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) continue to have health promotion needs even though they are experiencing a disease that has long term consequences (USDHHS, 1991). In fact, the need for health promotion interven-tions may be accentuated for this group of individuals, whose quality of life and ability to continue to live independently are often heavily dependent on maintaining what DeJong and Batavia (1991) term their """"""""thinner margin of health."""""""" Health-promotion interventions typically advocated to improve the quality of life for the general population have been assumed to result in the same outcomes for persons with chronic and disabling conditions. While it is true that women with disabilities face many of the same overall health risks as the general population, this """"""""one size fits all"""""""" approach fails to address how limitations in time, energy, and mobility force women with disabilities to make choices they perceive as having maximum payoff, given their sense of quality of life. To be effective and enduring, health promotion interventions must be individualized and tailored to a woman's abilities, resources, values and perspective on quality of life. The purpose of this three year study is to refine and test a theoretically and empirically-based intervention to promote the health and well-being of women with the chronic disabling condition of MS. A sample of 150 women with MS will be recruited to participate in a randomized clinical study to determine the effects of an intervention that includes an eight week health promotion/b-ehavior change component and three months follow-up phone support.
The specific aims of this study are to refine an efficacy-based educational and supportive health promotion intervention for women with MS and to examine the effects of the health promotion intervention on resources, barriers and self-efficacy, health behaviors, and health outcomes over four measurement periods - at baseline, immediately after the educational/skill building intervention, after three months of phone support, and at three months post-intervention.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HD035047-03
Application #
2674058
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SRC (02))
Program Officer
Quatrano, Louis A
Project Start
1996-09-30
Project End
2000-08-31
Budget Start
1998-09-01
Budget End
2000-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas Austin
Department
Type
Schools of Nursing
DUNS #
City
Austin
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
78712
Timmerman, Gayle M; Calfa, Nicolina A; Stuifbergen, Alexa K (2013) Correlates of body mass index in women with fibromyalgia. Orthop Nurs 32:113-9
Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Phillips, Lorraine; Carter, Pat et al. (2010) Subjective and objective sleep difficulties in women with fibromyalgia syndrome. J Am Acad Nurse Pract 22:548-56
Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Blozis, Shelley A; Becker, Heather et al. (2010) A randomized controlled trial of a wellness intervention for women with fibromyalgia syndrome. Clin Rehabil 24:305-18
Phillips, Lorraine J; Stuifbergen, Alexa K (2010) The relevance of depressive symptoms and social support to disability in women with multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia. Int J Rehabil Res 33:142-50
Phillips, Lorraine J; Stuifbergen, Alexa K (2009) Structural equation modeling of disability in women with fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis. West J Nurs Res 31:89-109
Beal, Claudia C; Stuifbergen, Alexa; Volker, Deborah et al. (2009) Women's experiences as members of attention control and experimental intervention groups in a randomized controlled trial. Can J Nurs Res 41:16-31
Becker, Heather; Stuifbergen, Alexa; Taxis, Carole et al. (2009) The use of goal attainment scaling to facilitate and assess individualized change in a wellness intervention for women with fibromyalgia syndrome. J Holist Nurs 27:232-40
Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Phillips, Lorraine; Voelmeck, Wayne et al. (2006) Illness perceptions and related outcomes among women with fibromyalgia syndrome. Womens Health Issues 16:353-60
Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Harrison, Tracie C; Becker, Heather et al. (2004) Adaptation of a wellness intervention for women with chronic disabling conditions. J Holist Nurs 22:12-31
Stuifbergen, Alexa K; Becker, Heather; Blozis, Shelley et al. (2003) A randomized clinical trial of a wellness intervention for women with multiple sclerosis. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 84:467-76

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