Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health in Vietnam (REACH VN): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of a family dementia caregiver intervention in Vietnam

Duyen Tran, Huong Nguyen, Thang Pham, Anh T. Nguyen, Hung T. Nguyen, Ngoc B. Nguyen, Bien H. Nguyen, Danielle Harvey, Laura Gitlin, Ladson Hinton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) are a public health challenge for Vietnam because of its rapidly aging population. However, very few community-based programs exist to support people living with AD/ADRD and their family caregivers. Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health in Vietnam (REACH VN) is a culturally adapted family caregiver intervention shown in a pilot study to be feasible and promising in terms of preliminary efficacy. We describe the protocol for a larger cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of REACH VN among family caregivers of people living with dementia in a semi-rural area outside of Hanoi, Vietnam. Methods: Thirty-two clusters with approximately 350 caregivers will be randomized to either REACH VN intervention or enhanced usual care. REACH VN is a multicomponent intervention delivered in-home or by phone over the course of 2 to 3 months. To be eligible, family caregivers need to be ≥18 years old, be the person who provides the most day-to-day care for people living with dementia, and have a score ≥ 6 on the Zarit Burden Interview-4. The primary outcomes are caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview-12) and psychological distress (Patient Health Questionnaire-4). Secondary outcomes include caregiver somatic symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-15) and perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale-10). These outcomes will be assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Exploratory analyses to examine potential mediators of primary outcomes are also planned. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first large-scale study to test the efficacy of a community-based family dementia caregiver intervention in Vietnam. Results from this study will help inform efforts to widely deliver the REACH VN intervention or similar community-based family dementia caregiver support programs in Vietnam and other low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.govNCT04542317. Registered on 9 September 2020.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number377
JournalTrials
Volume23
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Alzheimer’s
  • Dementia
  • Family caregiving
  • Global health
  • Non-pharmacological caregiving intervention
  • Vietnam

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