Wellness coaches in intervention delivery: pediatric asthma as an example.

Asthma is the most common chronic illness among children, and parental psychosocial stress is a well-documented mediator of poor pediatric asthma outcomes. However, few interventions have targeted parental stress as a means for improving child asthma outcomes. The purpose of the study is to describe the feasibility and acceptability of the use of wellness coaches in a parent-focused stress management intervention in pediatric asthma. Data on the feasibility of wellness coach recruitment and training, intervention delivery and fidelity, and acceptability are provided from a randomized controlled trial intervention group sample of 107 African American parents of children aged 4-12 years (M = 6.6 years) with persistent asthma. Implementation of intervention strategies is described. Two wellness coaches were recruited and trained, and they conducted the four-session intervention for the study. The majority (79%) of possible intervention sessions were completed. The fidelity ratings of coach implementation of the intervention were high and indicated that 92%-95% of target intervention content was covered during the sessions. Participants reported high acceptability of working with the wellness coaches. Use of wellness coaches in a parent-focused stress management pediatric asthma intervention was feasible and acceptable. Using wellness coaches for parent interventions may be applicable across other pediatric conditions and has the potential to change clinical practice.