Improving Healthy Daily Activity in Older Adults with Multimorbidity - Efficacy and Acceptability of ActiveOT

Q: What problem does the study address for older adults with multimorbidity?

It targets functional limitations that restrict engagement in health-promoting daily activities such as sleep, medication-taking, and physical activity.

Q: How was ActiveOT delivered in the study?

ActiveOT was delivered by occupational therapists in once-weekly home sessions.

Q: What were the key effectiveness results of ActiveOT?

COPM scores were higher for ActiveOT at 10 weeks and 22 weeks, with large effect sizes, and 89% reported clinically meaningful improvements.

Sep 28, 2026

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Nearly half of U.S. older adults experience multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) alongside functional limitations that restrict engagement in health-promoting daily activity. A randomized trial tested behavioral activation plus occupational therapy (ActiveOT, n=21) versus brief education (n=20). ActiveOT was delivered by occupational therapists in home-based weekly sessions. COPM scores improved significantly at 10 and 22 weeks, with large effect sizes and 89% achieving clinically meaningful gains. Semi-structured interviews supported strong acceptability, satisfaction, and person-centered flexibility, guiding future primary care implementation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and Objective

Study Design and Intervention

Outcomes and Acceptability

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 157 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.524 IMPROVING HEALTHY DAILY ACTIVITY IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MULTIMORBIDITY: EFFICACY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF ACTIVEOT Tara Klinedinst1, Juleen Rodakowski2, Lee Jennings3, Nicholas Hollman4, Sarah Beth Bell1, Zachary Pope1, Zsolt Nagykaldi1, and Darla Kendzor1, 1. The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 2. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 3. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 4. The University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States Nearly half of U.S. older adults have multimorbidity (≥2 chronic conditions) in addition to functional limitations that restrict engagement in health-promoting daily activity (e.g., sleep, medication-taking, physical activity) . We tested a combination of behavioral activation and occupational therapy (n = 21) compared to brief education (n = 20) on performance of healthpromoting daily activity, measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) at baseline, 10 weeks, and 22 weeks.“ActiveOT” was delivered by occupational therapists in 10 once-weekly sessions in participant homes. On average, the 41 participants were 73 years old, female, and identified as White. They averaged 4.0 chronic conditions (SD = 1.3), and 1.6 functional limitations (SD = 1 .5) . Baseline scores were not different between groups. At 10-weeks, the ActiveOT group had higher COPM scores (M = 7.3, SD = 1.7) compared to controls (M = 4.9, SD = 1.8; t(35)= 4.32, p < 0.001) . This trend continued at the 22-week follow-up where the ActiveOT group had higher COPM scores (M = 7 . 8, SD = 1 .2) than controls (M = 5 .3, SD = 1 . 8; t (33)=4.81, p < 0.001) . Between-group COPM scores reflected large effect sizes at 10 weeks (Cohen’s d = 1.42) and 22 weeks (Cohen’sd = 1.63), and 89% of ActiveOT participants experienced clinically meaningful improvements (MCID=3) . We conducted semi-structured follow-up interviews with ActiveOT participants (n = 15) to understand the acceptability and satisfaction with the intervention and study processes. ActiveOT participants reported overall satisfaction with the intervention and appreciated the flexibility of goal areas and person-centered focus. ActiveOT participants demonstrated improved performance of health-promoting daily activity and evaluated the intervention favorably. Future work will focus on implementation of ActiveOTin primary care contexts.

FAQs

What problem does the study address for older adults with multimorbidity?

It targets functional limitations that restrict engagement in health-promoting daily activities such as sleep, medication-taking, and physical activity.

How was ActiveOT delivered in the study?

ActiveOT was delivered by occupational therapists in once-weekly home sessions.

What were the key effectiveness results of ActiveOT?

COPM scores were higher for ActiveOT at 10 weeks and 22 weeks, with large effect sizes, and 89% reported clinically meaningful improvements.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy