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CompletedNCT01020851PREVENTSUpdated Apr 15, 2015

The PREVENTS Trial: The Preventing Recurrent Events in Veterans Navigating Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) or Stroke Trial

An interventional study of tailored intervention and attention placebo in Stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack, sponsored by Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2015-04-15.

Sponsored by Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
202
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

National recommendations state that patients with a history of transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke should receive hypertension treatment, including antihypertensive medication and lifestyle modification, with a goal of reducing blood pressure (BP) to \<120 mm Hg systolic BP and \<80 mm Hg diastolic BP. Statin treatment and lifestyle modification is also recommended for post-stroke and post-TIA patients with elevated cholesterol levels or a history of stroke or TIA with an atherosclerotic cause. Despite the clear benefits of secondary stroke prevention, there is a gap between evidence and implementation in clinical practice. By a randomized controlled trial, the investigators will test whether a tailored, telephone-delivered transtheoretical model-based behavioral intervention will improve adherence to treatment in veterans with a history of TIA or stroke, thereby leading to better control of BP and cholesterol levels, as compared to an attention placebo.

The primary specific aims of this project are to:

  • determine whether a behaviorally tailored intervention (TI) can effectively lower BP after 6 months of counseling as compared to an attention placebo (AP) in veterans with a history of stroke or TIA
  • assess whether the TI is effective in improving adherence to diet after 6 months of counseling in veterans with a history of stroke or TIA.

Secondary aims are to

  • assess whether the TI is effective in improving cholesterol levels in post-stroke veterans after 6 months
  • evaluate whether the TI is effective in improving adherence to antihypertensive and lipid-lowering medications after 6 months of counseling in veterans with a history of stroke or TIA
  • determine whether the TI is effective in improving adherence to exercise recommendations after 6 months.

To answer this, veterans (n=190) with a history of stroke or TIA will be randomized equally to the TI, which will use the transtheoretical framework to provide 6 monthly counseling phone sessions about adherence to diet, medication, and exercise recommendations, and the AP, in which 6 monthly counseling phone sessions about non-stroke-related health topics will be provided. Participants will make in-person visits at baseline and 6 months. BP (3 measures taken at least 5 min apart) and dietary sodium are the primary outcomes, while secondary outcomes will be total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein ratio, adherence to antihypertensive and lipid-lowering drugs, and exercise adherence.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stroke
  • Transient Ischemic Attack

Keywords

  • hypertension
  • stroke
  • cholesterol
  • adherence
03

In context

Stroke

8,255 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,056 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 202 is above the median of 49 across 6,024 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Well-documented history of stroke or
  • Age 21 years or older
  • Continuity of care in the primary care or neurology clinics, defined as at least 1 visit in either clinic during the past 1 year
  • On hypertensive and/or lipid-lowering agents
  • A score of >16 on the Mini-Mental Status Exam-
  • Ability to exercise (assessed by time to get up and go).

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria

  • Limited due to a severe non-CVD related comorbid terminal illness such as cancer
  • No telephone number at which patient can be reached
  • Plans to relocate within the next 6 months
  • Inability to communicate over the telephone due to severe cognitive impairment or aphasia
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

TIA (transient ischaemic attack)

A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.

Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.

Life expectancy

The study doctor’s estimate of how long someone is likely to live. Criteria use it so that people can stay in the study long enough for it to answer its question.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
202 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    tailored intervention

    Participants in this arm will receive 6 monthly telephone calls of a behaviorally tailored intervention based on the transtheoretical model.

    Behavioral: tailored intervention

  • Active comparator
    attention placebo

    Participants in this arm will receive 6 monthly telephone delivered counseling sessions about general health topics

    Behavioral: attention placebo

Interventions

  • Behavioraltailored intervention

    6 monthly telephone calls focusing on diet, medication and exercise adherence using the framework of the transtheoretical model

    Also known as: stage-matched intervention, transtheoretical model

  • Behavioralattention placebo

    6 monthly telephone-delivered sessions focusing on general health topics

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. blood pressure

    Time frame: 6 months

Secondary outcomes

  1. cholesterol

    Time frame: 6 months

  2. dietary adherence

    Time frame: 6 months

  3. exercise adherence

    Time frame: 6 months

  4. medication adherence

    Time frame: 6 months

07

Study locations

1 site
  • VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, NY and Brooklyn Campuses
    New York, New York 10010, United States
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Apr 15, 2015, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01020851
Lead sponsor
Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research
Responsible party
Jennifer Friedberg (Clinical Psychologist, Narrows Institute for Biomedical Research) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 26, 2009
Start date
Sep 2008
Primary completion
Sep 2014
Completion
Sep 2014
Last update
Apr 15, 2015

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Apr 2015. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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