Abstract 12044: Predictors of Engagement With a Remotely Delivered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction Intervention

Introduction: Videoconferencing (VC) technology is one approach to increasing access to interventions targeting cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction among rural dwellers, particularly caregivers of those with chronic illnesses. It is important to understand factors affecting engagement with such interventions in order to improve engagement. We examined demographic, clinical, psychological, and technological factors that predicted engagement with VC-based interventions. Method: We used data from the intervention group (n=131) in a randomized controlled trial of a CVD risk reduction intervention. Engagement was defined as the number of interventions or booster sessions (total 26 possible) completed per participant. Depressive symptoms and caregiving stress were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire and Zarit Burden Interview respectively. Negative binomial regression with backward stepwise regression was used to determine predictors of engagement. Result: Among participants (mean age = 54.83 ± 13.8 years, 79.4% female) the mean engagement rate was 17.08 ± 7.2 sessions. Higher level of depressive symptoms (incidence rate (IR) = 0.98 , p < .05) was associated with decreased engagement. Higher caregiving burden (IR= 1.008, p < .01) and, employment status (working in the home or retired compared to. employment outside the home IR: 1.25, p < .03) were associated with increased engagement. The association between age and engagement rate was dependent on level of technical problems ( IR = 1.02, p < .00 ), and financial status (average vs. low IR = 1.02, p < .02, high vs. low IR = 1.04, p < .00) (Fig. 1). Conclusion: Depressive symptoms, older age in those with low financial status, and working outside the home were associated with low engagement rate with VC-based intervention targeting CVD-risk reduction among rural caregivers. Thus, tailoring such interventions to address these factors is essential in improving engagement in remote interventions.