Pictou County PEP: A 6-Month, Home-Based, Personal Empowerment Program for Adults With a Chronic Medical Condition Living in Pictou County

NCT06064110 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Pictou-County-PEP
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 185
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The Pictou County Personal Empowerment Program is a comprehensive health promotion program aiming to improve the quality of life as well as both physical and mental health in Adults living with chronic medical conditions. The program includes daily email communications over 6 months that encourage a range of self-management and health promoting activities, including strength and aerobic exercise, yoga, stress reduction techniques, dietary improvements, relationship/intimacy education and more.

Conditions

Chronic Condition

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Mental Health as assessed by the Kessler Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

  A 10 item questionnaire that assesses psychological distress. The scale has a score range of 10-50, with higher scores indicating worse mental health.

  6-12 months

Secondary Outcomes (17)

• Incidence and severity of participant self-reported adverse events

  6-12 months

• The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F)

  6-12 months

• Personality as assessed by the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI)

  6-12 months

• Alcohol Habit assessed by questions from the National Health Institute Alcohol Consumption questionnaire.

  6-12 months

• Smoking habit assessed by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2020 (GATS).

  6-12 months

Study Arms (1)

Intervention arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Pictou County Person Empowerment Program

Interventions

Pictou County Person Empowerment Program BEHAVIORAL

The 6 month home-based program focuses on aerobic and strength training, meditation/relaxation techniques, social connection, and overall healthy lifestyle practices supported with daily email reminders. The aerobic (5 times/week) and strength (2 times/week) program will comprise of a single 30-minute session daily, the meditation/relaxation practice is 10 minutes daily, the intimacy and connection component consists of engaging in at least one form of intimacy practice prescribed, per day. Optional social connection components will be offered, such as pairing participants up with peers from the study, monthly Zoom videoconferences, and monthly in-person events in Pictou County to further promote healthy lifestyle habits.

Also known as: PictouCountyPEP

Intervention arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 19 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age \>18;
• Diagnosed with one or more chronic medical conditions, as per the participant's report, including but not restricted to the following (complete list in protocol appendix):
• Heart disease / cardiovascular disease / stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes including a diagnosis of pre-diabetes
• Chronic respiratory disease
• Chronic neurologic disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic liver disease
• Immunodeficiency
• Overweight or Obese (BMI \>25)
• Psychiatric or mental health issue - e.g., depression and anxiety
• Substance-related and addictive disorders (e.g alcohol, smoking, etc.);
• Resident of Pictou County, Nova Scotia;
• Existing (or willingness to create) email account and willingness to access email daily;

You may not qualify if:

• Diagnosed with cancer in the last 5 years and/or received treatment for cancer in the last 5 years;
• Myocardial infarction or stroke within the last year AND without written approval from their Family Physician, Cardiologist, or Study Physician that they are safe to exercise;
• Unable to access the internet daily during the intervention;
• Lack of access to a computer or smartphone to receive emails required for study intervention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dalhousie University: collaborator
• Nova Scotia Health Authority: lead

Study Sites (2)

QEII Health Sciences Centre

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Location

Aberdeen Hospital

New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Chronic Disease

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease Attributes; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: September 26, 2023
• First Posted: October 3, 2023
• Study Start: November 24, 2023
• Primary Completion: May 14, 2025
• Study Completion: October 28, 2025
• Last Updated: December 23, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

CA (2)