# Improving health self-management using walking biobehavioral intervention for people with dysvascular lower limb amputation

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · 2023 · $385,090

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT
The ultimate goal of this line of research is to optimize quality of life and minimize disability for people
with dysvascular lower limb amputation through improved physical activity self-management. An initial
step toward that goal is to test our walking biobehavioral intervention. Our overarching hypothesis is that
implementing walking biobehavioral intervention for people recovering from dysvascular lower limb amputation,
a disease characterized by multiple chronic conditions, will improve health self-management, as measured by
increased habitual physical activity. The complex, comorbid nature of dysvascular amputation requires
extended healing time and unique approaches to recovery compared to amputation from traumatic causes.
Chronic sedentary behaviors that are present before amputation become more obvious when compounded by
the effects of limb loss. As a result, people with dysvascular amputation report extremely high disability and
walking limitation as their number one functional problem. Biobehavioral intervention integrated within
conventional prosthesis rehabilitation is an opportune time to address walking behaviors by capitalizing on
motivation for change. However, prosthetic training guidelines do not include walking biobehavioral
intervention. Therefore, the purposes of this Phase II clinical trial are to: 1) test the benefit of walking
biobehavioral intervention for improving habitual daily walking activity and 2) determine the potential
for implementing the walking biobehavioral intervention in rehabilitation by performing initial
assessments of intervention reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. This trial
presents an alternative strategy for improving quality of life and reducing disability in an underserved, medically
complex, chronic disease population. The trial is directly aligned with the NIH Funding Opportunity
Announcement PA-18-146, which seeks clinical research on self-management interventions that improve
quality of life in persons needing assistance to optimize function, prevent/delay disability, and navigate their
environment.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10614536
- **Project number:** 5R01NR018450-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER
- **Principal Investigator:** Cory L Christiansen
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $385,090
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10614536

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10614536, Improving health self-management using walking biobehavioral intervention for people with dysvascular lower limb amputation (5R01NR018450-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10614536. Licensed CC0.

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