Feasibility of a self-management intervention in adolescents with headache (SMI-AH).
Suzy Mascaro Walter, R David Parker, Kesheng Wang and 2 others
PMID 31822377WHAT IT FOUND
A six-week self-management programme helped rural adolescents eat more lunches, but did not significantly reduce headache days, improve sleep, or cut caffeine compared to standard care.
Participants found the weekly writing and tracking helpful for understanding their habits.
Key findings
01The intervention group ate significantly more lunches than the control group at six weeks.
02Changes in headache frequency, sleep hours, caffeine intake, and dinner consumption did not reach statistical significance.
03Adolescents reported the programme helped them track sleep, caffeine, and headaches, and understand their own behaviours.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was underpowered with only 26 participants analysed, making it difficult to detect true differences in headache frequency or other outcomes. The six-week follow-up period may be too short to capture long-term behaviour change or sustained headache relief. The outcome measures (Headache Questionnaire and Lifestyle Behaviors Questionnaire) were researcher-constructed and not validated instruments. The sample was predominantly female (80%) and white (97%), limiting generalisability to other populations.
Declared interests
The study was supported by an NIH grant (Extramural). No specific conflicts of interest regarding commercial sponsors were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this self-management programme reduces headache frequency. The study was a small pilot that found no statistically significant difference in headache days between the intervention and control groups, despite a significant increase in lunch consumption.