# Development of a Community Health Worker-Led Stress Reduction Intervention for Low-Income COPD Patients

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2024 · $166,302

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The overall goal of this K23 proposal is to provide Trisha Parekh, D.O., with the career development and
research experience necessary to allow her to become an independent researcher in chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) health disparities, with expertise in social care integration and psychological stress
reduction in low-income communities using community health worker interventions. Disadvantages of social
determinants of health, such as low socioeconomic status, are associated with adverse outcomes in COPD,
including more frequent hospitalizations, early readmissions, and increased mortality. A majority of
interventions to reduce readmission focus on addressing medical determinants of health, with a notable
absence of addressing social needs that impede better health outcomes. The psychological stress associated
with poverty and other disadvantages of social determinants of health can lead to negative downstream
behavioral, psychological, and physiological effects. For COPD patients, these stress responses may include
increased tobacco use, increased risk of anxiety or depression, or increased systemic inflammation, all of
which are risk factors for acute exacerbations of COPD. Substantial knowledge gaps on the social
determinants of health, their associated levels of perceived stress in COPD, and clinical outcomes associated
with high levels stress in marginalized groups must be addressed in order to reduce health disparities and
improve quality of life for these individuals. In this K23 proposal, under the guidance of an expert mentorship
team, Dr. Parekh will conduct a mixed methods research study to inform the development of a targeted
community health worker-led stress reduction intervention in low-income COPD patients that will focus on 1)
addressing unmet social needs, 2) providing COPD disease education, and 3) promoting proactive coping
behaviors. The specific aims for this research project are as follows: Aim 1: Identify modifiable social
determinant of health predictors and clinical outcomes of perceived stress in COPD patients; Aim 2:
Understand perceived stressful experiences in high-risk COPD patients; Aim 3: Develop and test the feasibility
of a community health worker intervention to reduce stress in low-income COPD patients. At the completion of
Aim 3, this intervention will be ready to be tested in a R-series grant funded randomized controlled pilot with
the primary outcome of stress reduction and secondary outcomes of reduction in acute care use and tobacco
use and improvement in quality of life. At the conclusion of this K23, Dr. Parekh will have the training and
experience needed to transition to a successful independent investigator who has an expertise in COPD health
disparities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10909130
- **Project number:** 5K23HL153672-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Trisha M Parekh
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $166,302
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10909130

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10909130, Development of a Community Health Worker-Led Stress Reduction Intervention for Low-Income COPD Patients (5K23HL153672-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10909130. Licensed CC0.

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