The feasibility of Technology, Application, Self-Management for Kidney (TASK) intervention in post-kidney transplant recipients using a pre/posttest design

BACKGROUND: Weight gain after a kidney transplant remains a major problem that can lead to adverse effects on morbidity and mortality. The posttransplant phase provides a window of opportunity to improve the engagement of self-management of care for lifestyle modifications for diet and physical activity. The purpose of our study was to (1) test the feasibility of recruitment, retention, and adherence for using the Technology, Application, Self-Management for Kidney (TASK) intervention in post-kidney transplant recipients (≥ 18 years of age) at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks; and (2) estimate the preliminary effects of the TASK intervention in producing change over time for blood pressure (BP), weight, fruits/vegetable intake, fiber intake, sodium intake, self-efficacy to exercise, and perceived stress. METHODS: This study used a 12-week pre/posttest design using to test the feasibility of the TASK intervention. We applied paired t-tests and McNemar’s test to compare the outcomes at weeks 4, 8, and 12. RESULTS: We met our recruitment goal (N = 20) and found a 15% attrition rate (n = 3) at Week 12. Adherence rate among the study completers for recording daily food intake was 83–94% over the 12 weeks and for recording daily physical activity was 17–33% over the 12 weeks. We observed improvements over time for BP, weight, fruits/vegetable intake, fiber intake, and sodium intake; these differences were non-significant, although clinically important. We did find a significant difference from baseline to 12 weeks in weight reduction (p = 0.02), self-efficacy to exercise (p = 0.003), and perceived stress (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest the TASK intervention was feasible for kidney recipients to use and resulted in weight control, increased self-efficacy to exercise, and decreased perceived stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov #:NCT05151445