Impact of a Translated Disease Self-Management Program on Employee Health and Productivity: Six-Month Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Matthew Lee Smith; Mark G Wilson; Melissa M Robertson; Heather M Padilla; Heather Zuercher; Robert Vandenberg; Phaedra Corso; Kate Lorig; Diana D Laurent; David M DeJoy

doi:10.3390/ijerph15050851

Impact of a Translated Disease Self-Management Program on Employee Health and Productivity: Six-Month Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Apr 25;15(5):851. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15050851.

Authors

Matthew Lee Smith^{1

2

3}, Mark G Wilson⁴, Melissa M Robertson⁵, Heather M Padilla⁶, Heather Zuercher⁷, Robert Vandenberg⁸, Phaedra Corso⁹, Kate Lorig¹⁰, Diana D Laurent¹¹, David M DeJoy¹²

Affiliations

¹ Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. matthew.smith@tamhsc.edu.
² Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA. matthew.smith@tamhsc.edu.
³ Workplace Health Group, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. matthew.smith@tamhsc.edu.
⁴ Workplace Health Group, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. mwilson@uga.edu.
⁵ Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. robertsonmelissa27@gmail.com.
⁶ Workplace Health Group, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. hmbowen@uga.edu.
⁷ Workplace Health Group, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. zuercher@uga.edu.
⁸ Department of Management, Terry College of Business, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. rvandenb@uga.edu.
⁹ Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. pcorso@uga.edu.
¹⁰ Self-Management Resource Center, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA. kate@selfmanagementresource.com.
¹¹ Self-Management Resource Center, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA. diana@selfmanagementresource.com.
¹² Workplace Health Group, Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA. dmdejoy@uga.edu.

Abstract

Disease management is gaining importance in workplace health promotion given the aging workforce and rising chronic disease prevalence. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is an effective intervention widely offered in diverse community settings; however, adoption remains low in workplace settings. As part of a larger NIH-funded randomized controlled trial, this study examines the effectiveness of a worksite-tailored version of CDSMP (wCDSMP [n = 72]) relative to CDSMP (‘Usual Care’ [n = 109]) to improve health and work performance among employees with one or more chronic conditions. Multiple-group latent-difference score models with sandwich estimators were fitted to identify changes from baseline to 6-month follow-up. Overall, participants were primarily female (87%), non-Hispanic white (62%), and obese (73%). On average, participants were age 48 (range: 23⁻72) and self-reported 3.25 chronic conditions (range: 1⁻16). The most commonly reported conditions were high cholesterol (45%), high blood pressure (45%), anxiety/emotional/mental health condition (26%), and diabetes (25%). Among wCDSMP participants, significant improvements were observed for physically unhealthy days (uΔ = −2.07, p = 0.018), fatigue (uΔ = −2.88, p = 0.002), sedentary behavior (uΔ = −4.49, p = 0.018), soda/sugar beverage consumption (uΔ = −0.78, p = 0.028), and fast food intake (uΔ = −0.76, p = 0.009) from baseline to follow-up. Significant improvements in patient⁻provider communication (uΔ = 0.46, p = 0.031) and mental work limitations (uΔ = −8.89, p = 0.010) were also observed from baseline to follow-up. Relative to Usual Care, wCDSMP participants reported significantly larger improvements in fatigue, physical activity, soda/sugar beverage consumption, and mental work limitations (p < 0.05). The translation of Usual Care (content and format) has potential to improve health among employees with chronic conditions and increase uptake in workplace settings.

Keywords: Chronic Disease Self-Management Program; United States of America; disease self-management; employee health; evidence-based program; intervention translation.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Chronic Disease / therapy*
Communication
Diabetes Mellitus / therapy
Diet
Disease Management
Exercise
Fatigue / epidemiology
Female
Humans
Hypercholesterolemia / therapy
Hypertension / therapy
Male
Mental Disorders / therapy
Middle Aged
Occupational Health*
Sedentary Behavior
Self Care / methods
Self Report
Self-Management / methods*
Workplace / organization & administration*

Grants and funding

R01 HL122330/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States