The impact of a pilot telehealth coaching intervention to improve caregiver stress and well-being and to increase dietary protein intake of caregivers and their family members with dementia – Interrupted by COVID-19

The prevalence of dementia is growing as the population and longevity increase. Caregivers of adults with dementia report stress and fatigue and often neglect their health. They also indicate the need for information to address health-related issues, including nutritional problems, of their family members with dementia (FMWD). This study examined the impact of coaching to improve family caregiver (FCG) stress and well-being and to increase the protein intake of both FCGs and their FMWD. All participants received nutrition education including a protein prescription (1.2 g/kg body weight/day) and FCGs received stress-reduction materials. Coached-group randomized participants also received weekly diet coaching and stress-reduction coaching. At baseline and 8 weeks, anthropometrics, a mini-nutritional assessment questionnaire, and diet (protein intake) were assessed in FCGs and FMWD; well-being, fatigue and strain were assessed in FCGs. Repeated two words measures analysis of variance and Fisher’s exact tests examined within group and intervention effects. Twenty-five FCGs (13 coached group, 12 not-coached group) and 23 FMWD (12 coached group, 11 not-coached group) completed the study. No significant differences were found between coached and not-coached FCGs and FMWD at baseline. After 8- weeks, FCGs’ protein intake significantly increased from 1.00 ± 0.17 to 1.35 ± 0.23 g/kg/body weight in the coached group and from 0.91 ± 0.19 to 1.01 ± 0.33 g/kg/body weight in the not-coached group; there was also an intervention effect (p=.01, η2 = .24). The percentage of FCGs with baseline protein intake less than prescription guidelines and with an end-of-study protein intake meeting/exceeding the prescription significantly differed, with 60% of coached FCGs versus 10% of not coached FCGs meeting the prescription. No intervention effects were shown for protein intake in FMWD or for well-being, fatigue or strain among FCGs. Diet coaching with nutrition education successfully assisted FCGs with improving their protein intake versus nutrition education alone.