MENTOR for Everybody: A Cross-Demographic Evaluation of a Telewellness Program for Adults With Mobility Limitations.

OBJECTIVE

To examine demographic differences in health outcomes among adults with mobility limitations participating in the Mindfulness, Exercise, and Nutrition to Optimize Resilience (MENTOR) telewellness health promotion program and to assess the influence of social support on program outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective secondary analysis of longitudinal survey data from participants completing pre-assessment and postassessment of the MENTOR program.

SETTING

MENTOR is delivered remotely via a telewellness platform.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults with mobility limitations (N=599) who completed both assessments.

INTERVENTIONS: MENTOR, an 8-week, 40-hour telewellness intervention incorporating mindfulness, exercise, and nutrition education, offered free to US residents with mobility limitations.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Change in overall wellness scores across physical, mental, and emotional domains. Differences were examined by age, sex, race, residence, education, income, disability onset, assistive device use, and functional limitation. Social support was assessed via employment, marital status, household composition, and perceived emotional support.

RESULTS

MENTOR produced statistically significant improvements in wellness across participants, even after adjusting for demographic and social support variables. Individual characteristics modestly explained variation in improvement magnitude. Age and unmarried status slightly reduced gains. Higher baseline emotional support was linked to smaller improvements, suggesting greater benefit among participants with lower initial levels of perceived support.

CONCLUSIONS

MENTOR improves wellness for adults with mobility limitations regardless of demographic or social support factors. Smaller gains among participants with higher baseline emotional support highlight the program's potential to particularly benefit individuals with mobility limitations who have lower initial levels of support.