SanaMente: A Peer-Led Program to Reduce Health Disparities in Rural Latino/a Communities

SanaMente: A Peer-Led, Evidence-Based Mental Health and Lifestyle Program to Reduce Health Disparities in Rural Latino/a Communities

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of the SanaMente peer-led mental health and lifestyle program for rural Latino/a adults with chronic medical conditions and mental health concerns. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Is the SanaMente program feasible and acceptable for rural Latino/a adults with chronic medical conditions and mental health concerns?
• Does participation in the SanaMente program improve mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, and stress), healthy lifestyle behaviors (sleep, physical activity, and nutrition), and overall well-being?

This is a single-arm pilot study without comparison group.

Participants will:

• Participate in the 6-8 week SanaMente peer-led group program.
• Complete surveys at baseline, mid-program, and post-program assessing mental health, lifestyle behaviors, overall well-being, and program satisfaction.
• Complete an exit survey and have the option to participate in a focus group to provide feedback on the program's usability, acceptability, perceived impact, and suggestions for improvement.

This Stage IB feasibility and pilot study is designed to refine and evaluate the SanaMente program, a culturally tailored, peer-led intervention developed to address the intersecting mental and physical health needs of rural Latinx adults living with chronic medical conditions. The study will assess implementation processes and generate preliminary evidence to inform a future, fully powered efficacy trial.

The intervention will be delivered by bilingual peer mentors who will receive standardized training prior to facilitating small group sessions. Throughout the study, implementation outcomes-including recruitment, retention, attendance, intervention fidelity, and participant engagement-will be monitored to evaluate the practicality of delivering the program in rural community settings.

A mixed-methods evaluation will be used to examine both implementation and participant outcomes. Quantitative analyses will estimate changes in mental health symptoms, health behaviors, and overall well-being over the course of the intervention, with effect size estimates used to inform the design and sample size of future studies. Qualitative data collected from participant feedback will be analyzed to identify factors influencing program engagement, perceived benefits, barriers to participation, and recommendations for improving program content and delivery.

Study findings will be used to optimize the SanaMente intervention, enhance its cultural relevance and implementation strategies, and establish the feasibility of conducting a larger randomized controlled trial to evaluate its effectiveness.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged 18 years or older.
• Identify as Hispanic/Latino/a.
• Patients of La Clínica del Pueblo in Carbondale, Colorado.
• Spanish-speaking (bilingual Spanish-English speakers are eligible).
• Interest in improving your physical and emotional well-being.
• Are currently managing or are at risk for chronic medical or metabolic conditions (e.g., diabetes, cardiovascular disease, liver, or kidney conditions), but a diagnosis is not required.
• Experiencing or at risk for stress, low mood, or anxiety (formal diagnosis not required)
• Willingness and ability to participate in the SanaMente program.
• Willing to provide a release of information authorizing study staff to communicate with La Clínica del Pueblo in the event that a participant endorses suicidality or if it becomes necessary to share relevant medical information to ensure participant safety and appropriate care.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who are unable to provide informed consent.
• Individuals who are unwilling or unable to participate in the group-based or one-to-one SanaMente sessions.