ClinicalTrials.Veeva

Menu

Take 2 Pills and Go Volunteer in the Morning

Loyola University logo

Loyola University

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Volunteers

Treatments

Behavioral: Volunteering

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

Details and patient eligibility

About

In this study, doctors will "prescribe" volunteer work for their patients. The investigators are determining whether it is feasible for providers to recommend volunteering to their patients, and whether patients who are recommended this "treatment" actually do volunteer work (i.e., find it "acceptable"). The study is focused on uninsured patients at Loyola Medicine's Access to Care (ATC) Clinic. The study's secondary aim is to determine whether or not engaging in volunteer work yields health benefits.

Full description

In this feasibility study, doctors will "prescribe" volunteer work for their patients. The setting is Loyola Medicine's Access to Care Clinic, which serves patients who are low-income and uninsured (and often members of racial/ethnic minority groups). The investigators are determining whether it is feasible for providers in a low-resourced primary care setting to recommend volunteering to their patients, and whether patients who are recommended this "treatment" actually do volunteer work (and how much). The investigators are also interested in measuring whether volunteering is associated with any potential health benefits, specifically well-being and self-esteem.

Promoting volunteerism is the intervention because research evidence suggests that volunteer work may be good for one's health. For example, research shows that volunteering is associated with numerous potential health benefits: improved mental health, increased physical activity, higher preventive health care utilization, lower cardiovascular risk and lower mortality. Besides better health, volunteering also can teach valuable skills, help individuals meet others, and foster new relationships.

Despite all these potential benefits, rates of volunteering are low. Overall, just one in four people volunteers. Additionally, people who have lower incomes are less likely to volunteer (14% of people with incomes below $20,000 vs. 35% of people with incomes above $100,000. And minority groups are less likely to volunteer than whites (just 19% of African Americans and 15% of Latinos compared with 26% of Whites).

Thus, the intervention is aimed to increase volunteer participation rates among groups unlikely to volunteer: low-income uninsured persons who are members of racial/ethnic minority groups.

Enrollment

50 estimated patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria * Access to Care patient

Exclusion Criteria

* None

Trial design

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Allocation

Non-Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

None (Open label)

50 participants in 2 patient groups

Volunteering
Experimental group
Description:
The experimental arm will receive a volunteer "prescription" from their provider and assistance from a study team member to find a volunteer job.
Treatment:
Behavioral: Volunteering
Control
No Intervention group
Description:
The control arm will not be recommended to volunteer or assisted in finding a volunteer activity. They will answer the same survey questions as the intervention subjects.

Trial documents
1

Trial contacts and locations

1

Loading...

Central trial contact

Julie S Darnell, PhD

Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

Clinical trials

Find clinical trialsTrials by location
© Copyright 2024 Veeva Systems