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Trial details imported from ClinicalTrials.gov

For full trial details, please see the original record at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07173335




Registration number
NCT07173335
Ethics application status
Date submitted
19/08/2025
Date registered
15/09/2025
Date last updated
15/09/2025

Titles & IDs
Public title
Integrated Healthy Lifestyle and Pain Care for People With Musculoskeletal Conditions Living in Rural Areas.
Scientific title
Comparison of In-person and Virtual Delivery of Healthy Lifestyle Focused Care for People With Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions Living in Rural Areas: a Non-interiority Randomised Trial.
Secondary ID [1] 0 0
2031735
Secondary ID [2] 0 0
2024/ETH02857
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
HeLP-R
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Musculoskeletal Pain 0 0
Osteoarthritis 0 0
Low Back Pain 0 0
Condition category
Condition code
Musculoskeletal 0 0 0 0
Other muscular and skeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal 0 0 0 0
Osteoarthritis
Neurological 0 0 0 0
Other neurological disorders
Diet and Nutrition 0 0 0 0
Obesity
Metabolic and Endocrine 0 0 0 0
Other metabolic disorders

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
BEHAVIORAL - In-person physiotherapist led integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care
BEHAVIORAL - Virtual multidisciplinary integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care

Active comparator: In-person physiotherapist-led pain and lifestyle care - Physiotherapist-led integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care delivered in-person with referral to telephone-based health coaching.

Experimental: Virtual multidisciplinary pain and lifestyle care - Multidisciplinary integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care, involving a physiotherapist, dietitian, and psychologist, delivered remotely by virtual care.


BEHAVIORAL: In-person physiotherapist led integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care
Participants allocated to in-person intervention will be offered:

A) Up to four in-person physiotherapist consultations (up to one hour in duration) over 12 weeks (weeks 1, 3, 6, and 12);

B) Tailored pain education and healthy lifestyle education and resource bundles, including video content, web resources and interactive tools sent to participants via email or text;

C) Referral to telephone-based population wide health behaviour change support services, the NSW Get Healthy Coaching and information service and the Quitline for smokers, by the week 12 consultation (up to 6 telehealth consultations).

Total = up to 10 consultations over 6 months.

BEHAVIORAL: Virtual multidisciplinary integrated healthy lifestyle and pain care
Participants allocated to the virtual multidisciplinary intervention will receive:

A) 10 consultations over 6 months with a multidisciplinary team, including a minimum 4 with a physiotherapist (week 1, 3, 6, 12) and remainder with a dietitian and/or psychologist, tailored to participants needs. Virtual care consultations may be individual or joint multidisciplinary sessions conducted on standard virtual care platforms used by NSW Health. Consultation will be up to one hour in duration, or use an equivalent total duration with a higher frequency schedule. Where appropriate, participants may be referred to alcohol or smoking cessation support, including individualised virtual or telephone-based counselling with access to nicotine replacement therapy;

B) Tailored pain education and healthy lifestyle education and resource bundles, including video content, web resources and interactive tools sent to participants via email or text.

Intervention code [1] 0 0
BEHAVIORAL
Comparator / control treatment
Control group

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 0 0
Pain Impact
Timepoint [1] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [1] 0 0
Pain Intensity
Timepoint [1] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [2] 0 0
Physical Function
Timepoint [2] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [3] 0 0
Depression
Timepoint [3] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [4] 0 0
Anxiety
Timepoint [4] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [5] 0 0
Sleep disturbance
Timepoint [5] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [6] 0 0
Health-related quality of life
Timepoint [6] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [7] 0 0
Weight
Timepoint [7] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [8] 0 0
Pain self-efficacy
Timepoint [8] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [9] 0 0
Physical activity levels
Timepoint [9] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [10] 0 0
Diet quality
Timepoint [10] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [11] 0 0
Smoking status
Timepoint [11] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [12] 0 0
Alcohol Consumption
Timepoint [12] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [13] 0 0
Pain beliefs
Timepoint [13] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [14] 0 0
Adverse events
Timepoint [14] 0 0
Enrolment until end of treatment, and at week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [15] 0 0
Pain Interference
Timepoint [15] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [16] 0 0
Fatigue
Timepoint [16] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [17] 0 0
Participation
Timepoint [17] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.
Secondary outcome [18] 0 0
Cognition
Timepoint [18] 0 0
Baseline (enrolment), week 12, 26, 39 and 52.

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria:

* Age 18 years and over, with one or more of the following chronic musculoskeletal conditions (pain or disability due to knee or hip, or non-specific low back pain) present for more than three months;
* Average pain intensity over the last week of 3 or more on a 11-point numerical rating scale OR pain interference of at least 'somewhat' (3 out 5) on item 27 of the PROMIS 29;
* At least one of the following lifestyle risk factors: Body Mass Index of greater than 25kg/m2, less than 30mins of physical activity on five or more days of the week, current smoker or vaper, consumes less than two serves of fruits or five serves of vegetables per day, drinks more than 10 standard drinks in a week, or more than 4 standard drinks on any one day, or 'poor' or 'very poor' sleep quality for item 6 of the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index.
Minimum age
18 Years
Maximum age
No limit
Sex
Both males and females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
Key exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria:

* Receiving healthcare for ALL eligible lifestyle risks;
* Had bariatric surgery in the last 12 months or have planned bariatric surgery in the next 6 months;
* Have planned orthopaedic surgery in the next 6 months;
* Cannot actively or safely engage in the intervention or study procedures due to a medical comorbidity or constraint (e.g. impaired cognition, unable to use telehealth services, attend appointments, or adapt meals or activity);
* Pain due to suspected serious cause, (e.g spinal infection, cancers, fracture, systemic rheumatic disease, cauda equina syndrome, diagnosis of radiculopathy);
* Pregnant or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months.

Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Blinded (masking used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?


The people assessing the outcomes
Intervention assignment
Parallel
Other design features
Phase
Not applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
Data analysis
Reason for early stopping/withdrawal
Other reasons
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
Actual
Sample size
Target
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
NSW
Recruitment hospital [1] 0 0
University Centre for Rural Health, University of Sydney - Lismore
Recruitment postcode(s) [1] 0 0
2480 - Lismore

Funding & Sponsors
Primary sponsor type
Other
Name
University of Sydney
Address
Country
Other collaborator category [1] 0 0
Other
Name [1] 0 0
Medical Research Future Fund
Address [1] 0 0
Country [1] 0 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 0 0
Address 0 0
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for public queries
Name 0 0
Christopher Williams, PhD
Address 0 0
Country 0 0
Phone 0 0
+61 1300 965 800
Fax 0 0
Email 0 0
Contact person for scientific queries

Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
Yes
What data in particular will be shared?
Deidentified individual participant data and data dictionaries will be available for sharing beginning 12 months and ending 3 years following the trial's outcomes article publication. Proposals for data should be directed to the Principal Investigator Associate Professor Christopher Williams, and to gain access requestors will need to sign a data access agreement. Investigators proposed use of the data must also be approved by an independent review committee. Study protocols, statistical analyses plans, and primary and secondary analyses data will be publicly available in open access peer reviewed journal articles or on open science framework.

Supporting document/s available: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan (SAP)
When will data be available (start and end dates)?
IPD will be available beginning 12 months and ending 3 years following the trial's outcomes article publication.
Available to whom?
Researchers can request access to the IPD on request, supporting information will be available in open access peer reviewed journal articles or on open science framework.
Available for what types of analyses?
How or where can data be obtained?


What supporting documents are/will be available?

No Supporting Document Provided


Results publications and other study-related documents

No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.