Strength for Caregiving
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Tailored nutritional counselling intervention.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Mental Well-being, Muscle Strengh, Dietary Habits, Quality of Life. Basic parameters: from 65 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Finland
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Strength for Caregiving - A Nutrition Coaching Model to Support Caregivers' Wellbeing and Functional Ability
Overview
The goal of this single-arm pre-post study is to promote elderly (≥ 65 years) family caregivers' dietary habits, well-being and functional capacity through comprehensive nutritional guidance. The main goals of the project are to: * Improve the well-being, resilience, and functional capacity of the participating family caregivers through the comprehensive nutritional counseling implemented as part of the project. * Create a nutrition counseling model that promotes the well-being and coping of family caregivers and can also be utilized in well-being services counties after the project concludes. * Produce up-to-date and practical nutrition materials for family caregivers. The project participants will participate in two individual nutrition counselling sessions and three group nutrition counseling sessions over a period of ten months. Researchers will compare the results of the participants' baseline and final measurements to see if nutrition counseling is effective in improving family caregivers' well-being, resilience, and functional capacity.
Detailed description
Background: A large proportion of Finnish family caregivers are older adults. Serving as a family caregiver places both psychological and physical strain on the caregiver. As a result, taking care of one's own well-being may be overlooked. Previous studies have shown that up to 40% of family caregivers may be at risk of malnutrition. Inadequate nutrition weakens family caregivers' health and functional capacity, potentially threatening their ability to continue providing care. At present, there is no structured and clearly defined approach to systematically addressing the nutritional status and nutritional needs of family caregivers as part of family caregivers services. Consequently, family caregivers may not receive easily accessible, targeted, and reliable nutritional guidance or materials, even though nutrition is an important factor in maintaining health, functional capacity and the ability to continue caregiving.
Aims: The aim of the Strength for Caregiving project is to promote elderly (≥ 65 years) family caregivers' dietary habits, well-being, and functional capacity through comprehensive nutritional counseling. In addition, the project aims to develop and pilot a nutritional counseling model targeted at family caregivers. The project will also produce nutrition materials for family caregivers.
Methods: The study examines the effectiveness of a 10-month tailored nutritional counseling intervention on well-being, functional capacity, nutritional status and dietary habits among elderly caregivers living in the Satakunta region, Finland. The planned sample size is 100 participants.
The 10-month intervention includes two individual counseling sessions and three group counseling sessions. The individual sessions are conducted by a nutritionist and include a personal nutrition plan. Based on the participants' preferences, the group sessions consist of either nutrition lectures or practical cooking courses.
Study outcomes are assessed at baseline and after 10 months. Outcomes are measured using questionnaires and three-day food records. Nutritional status, weight, blood pressure and muscle strength are measured at the same time points during appointments with research nurse.
Expected outcomes: The project is expected to improve family caregivers' dietary habits, well-being, and functional capacity. The nutrition coaching model will include individual and group counseling, practical cooking courses, and materials for implementing these activities, enabling different organizations and professionals to use the model and continue providing counseling after the project has ended. The materials produced will be publicly available and widely usable after the project.
Discussion: The study will support family caregivers' ability to continue their caregiving role and help reduce nutrition-related health risks. Integrating the nutrition counseling model into family caregiver services in the well-being services county will lay the foundation for long-term change. Openly available materials may help ensure that the project's impact continues beyond the project period.
Interventions
- Behavioral Tailored nutritional counselling intervention
The intervention is a 10-month tailored nutritional counselling programme for elderly family caregivers. It includes two individual dietary counselling sessions conducted by a nutrition specialist and three group counselling sessions. The individual counselling sessions include a personal nutrition plan based on the participant's needs. According to participants' preferences, the group counselling sessions consist of either nutrition lectures or practical cooking courses. The intervention aims t
Primary outcome measures
- Mental well-being measured with the World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
- Psychological burden measured with the Zarit Burden Interview, 4-item version (ZBI-4) [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months]
- Physical functioning measured with the five-times sit-to-stand test and hand grip strength measured with a grip dynamometer [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months]
- Protein intake measured with a 3-day food diary [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months.]
- Nutritional status measured with the Mini Nutritional Assessment, long form (MNA) [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months]
- Quality of life measured with the 15D instrument [Time frame: Baseline and 10 months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Born in 1961 or earlier (i.e. aged over 65 years)
- Adequate Finnish language skills
- Able to give informed written consent
- Acting as a caregiver (with or without a formal caregiver contract) in the areas of Pori, Rauma, or Kankaanpää
- Normal cognition (participants with an MMSE score below 24 will be assessed by the responsible physician)
Exclusion criteria
- Serious acute illness or inability to act as an informal caregiver
- A condition, ailment, or underlying health risk that is poorly controlled and that participation in the study could exacerbate, or a terminal illness (Consultation of the doctor in charge, if necessary, in unclear cases)
- Born in 1961 or later (i.e. aged under 65 years)
- Substance abuse based on the AUDIT-C score (consultation of the doctor in charge)
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- N/A
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
Finland · 1 center
- Satakunta University of Applied Sciences — Pori
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07615205 · SatakuntaUAS