Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Timed Goals and the Personal Health Inventory in a Wellness Group for Veterans With GWI.

Abstract

Background: Interventions based on the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) Whole Health (WH) initiative may be beneficial for veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) through specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and timed (SMART) goal setting and monitoring of perceived goal attainment with the Personal Health Inventory (PHI).

Objectives: This secondary analysis of 2 randomized controlled trials focused on (1) categorizing SMART goals set during a wellness intervention based on the VHA's WH approach to identify goals most relevant for veterans with GWI and chronic pain and (2) descriptively examining the PHI over a course of treatment to assess its preliminary sensitivity to change. Also, changes in PHI for those who engaged in the intervention in-person versus remotely were compared.

Subjects: Participants were 49 veterans with GWI and chronic pain who received a 12-week, 24-session group wellness intervention delivered in-person or remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: SMART goal themes mapped onto the 8 areas of self-care presented in the WH program's circle of health with high categorical adherence. Most participants set goals in categories for working the body, food and drink, and personal development. The wellness intervention was related to improvements in perceived goal attainment as measured by the PHI in both in-person and remote participants, which indicates that the PHI may be sensitive to change over time.

Conclusions: These preliminary findings set the stage for future research on wellness interventions for veterans with GWI and chronic pain and the measurement of whole-person outcomes.