Clinical trial NCT03580915: Effectiveness of a Functional Literacy Program for Formerly Homeless Adults
Official title: Effectiveness of a Functional Literacy Program for Formerly Homeless Adults
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Literacy
Keywords: functional literacy
homelessness
daily life activities
Lead sponsor: Columbia University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-07-10
Enrollment: 23
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 65
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Approximately 10 participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention group; another 10 will be randomly assigned to a control group.
Primary purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE

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.

Detailed description: Sixty-five percent of homeless adults are reported to be illiterate or marginally literate. The lack of literacy in a high technological society negatively impacts this population's ability to participate in daily life activities including finding and maintaining employment, renting and maintaining an apartment, seeking health care, using public transportation, and managing finances. Poor literacy marginalizes this population from societal participation and maintains this group in a state of lack and deficiency.

A literacy program will be delivered to participants who are formerly homeless and now residing in supported shelter. Participants will be randomly assigned to an intervention (n=20) or control (n=20) group. The intervention group will receive the functional literacy intervention over 8 weeks, twice weekly. Intervention sessions will allow participants to learn literacy skills within the context of real-life daily activities like grocery shopping, preparing a meal, and purchasing subway cards. Control group participants will not receive intervention.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 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

Exclusion Criteria:

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

Primary outcomes:
measure: Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) score
timeFrame: 1-week post-intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Inventory of Reading Occupations (IRO) score
timeFrame: 1-week post-intervention
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: New York
country: United States
facility: Columbia University Medical Center
state: New York
Study officials:
affiliation: Columbia University
name: Sharon Gutman, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: