Effectiveness of a Functional Literacy Program for Formerly Homeless Adults

NCT03580915 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: AAAR8206
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 23
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to assess a functional literacy program for formerly homeless adults now residing in supported housing who have difficulty performing daily life skills requiring functional literacy (e.g., bill paying, medication management, community transportation) needed to maintain housing placements. The hypothesis is that intervention group participants will improve in functional literacy compared to the control group that does not receive the intervention.

Conditions

Literacy

Keywords

functional literacy; homelessness; daily life activities

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) score

  The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is a 5-item, 10-point rating scale (1=most important, 10=least important) designed to be completed conjointly by a therapist and participant, and requires approximately 30 minutes to administer. The scale allows participants to identify and prioritize the most important problems impacting daily function and can be used with clients of all ages and diagnoses. Participants are asked to identify the five most critical problems impeding functional performance in the areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure. After the identification of five problems, participants are asked to rate both performance and satisfaction levels of the identified activities on a 10-point scale (1=not satisfied; 10=extremely satisfied). An open-ended narrative section is provided to allow therapists to record participant comments. The COPM is intended to be used pre- and post-intervention.

  1-week post-intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Inventory of Reading Occupations (IRO) score

  1-week post-intervention

Study Arms (2)

Functional Literacy Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The intervention group will receive the functional literacy program in which, in small groups, participants learn literacy skills in the context of daily life activities such as shopping, meal preparation, and transportation use.

Behavioral: Functional Literacy Program; Behavioral: Usual Care Management Services

Functional Literacy Control

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The control group will not receive intervention but the Usual Care Management Services.

Behavioral: Usual Care Management Services

Interventions

Functional Literacy Program BEHAVIORAL

The intervention will be provided twice weekly in 2-hour sessions, over 8 weeks. The 16 intervention sessions will provide the opportunity for participants to learn functional literacy skills to (1) manage an apartment, (2) access community resources, (3) manage finances, (4) access free recreational activities. All sessions will address literacy skills needed to complete basic daily life activities in the home and community environments. Literacy skills will first be learned and practiced within the supported shelter, and then extended to the community.

Functional Literacy Intervention

Usual Care Management Services BEHAVIORAL

The control group will receive the usual housing services without additional intervention.

Functional Literacy Control; Functional Literacy Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Resident of a supported shelter environment (after homelessness)
• Self-reported difficulty with basic reading skills needed to participate in desired daily life activities
• English-speaking

You may not qualify if:

• Severe behavioral management disorder that would make cooperation and direction following problematic

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Columbia University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Columbia University Medical Center

New York, New York, 10032, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Literacy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Communication; Behavior

Study Officials

• Sharon Gutman, MD

  Columbia University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine (Occupatio, Rehab & Regenerative Med OT)

Model Details: Approximately 10 participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group; another 10 will be randomly assigned to a control group.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 25, 2018
• First Posted: July 10, 2018
• Study Start: September 24, 2018
• Primary Completion: November 20, 2018
• Study Completion: December 28, 2018
• Last Updated: January 15, 2019

Record last verified: 2019-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)