None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
AIM: The aim of this project is to determine whether a home-based six-month physical activity program with individual goal-setting and volunteer peer mentors can significantly increase physical activity levels in physically inactive older adults at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease. HYPOTHESIS: that insufficiently active participants with subjective memory complaints or mild cognitive impairment who are randomised to the goal setting intervention with a mentor compared to participants randomised to a control group receiving standard education and peer contact will show a significantly greater increase in their PA at the end of the intervention. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study is a randomised, single-blind controlled trial. METHODS: Participants are individuals with subjective memory complaints or mild cognitive impairment and do not regularly engage in 60 minutes or more of moderate intensity leisure time physical activity. The primary outcome of interest is increase in physical activity as measured by a pedometer (steps/day). We are also collecting cognitive, personality, physical and clinical parameters. Participants are asked to provide a DNA sample via a saliva sample. Participants in both groups are asked to attend three workshops in six months. At the first workshop, they will meet a peer-age volunteer. These individuals are recruited and randomly assigned to provide either telephone mentoring or telephone contact. Volunteers are trained for each role and their self-confidence and level of physical activity are measured.
Interventions
Both groups (intervention and control) will receive the same physical activity (PA) program (home-based, emphasis on walking) with a target of 150 minutes of moderate intensity PA/week. The program is progressive in duration and intensity taking 8 weeks to reach moderate intensity (55-65% heart rate reserve) for each individual. Participants will be asked to complete the PA as 3 x 50-minute sessions a week or 5 x 30-minute sessions a week. Intensity will be monitored using the Borg Perceived Rat
Both groups (intervention and control) will receive the same physical activity (PA) program (home-based, emphasis on walking) with a target of 150 minutes of moderate intensity PA/week. The program is progressive in duration and intensity taking 8 weeks to reach moderate intensity (55-65% heart rate reserve) for each individual. Participants will be asked to complete the PA as 3 x 50-minute sessions a week or 5 x 30-minute sessions a week. Intensity will be monitored using the Borg Perceived Rate of Exertion scale (RPE 10-12). All participants will receive a manual including the same information about exercise programs, exercise safety and community PA resource material. As part of the baseline workshop the facilitator will outline the PA program, explain the activities, how often they will be done, the intensity and how to record on their standardised PA diaries. The intervention group will receive the Goal Orientation Intervention (GM-PA group). The participant’s individual goals will be identified on the Bangor Goal Setting Interview (BGSI) at baseline, in a face-to-face interview (approximately 60 minutes) with a member of the research team. Participants will be asked to select 5 personal goals from the physical function and PA areas. These goals will be operationalised and worked on during the 24- week intervention period with the development of individual strategies of how to achieve these goals. This program will be delivered via a participant manual and 3 group workshops conducted by research staff. These will be held in the first 6 months. The first will have a duration of two hours, and the remaining workshops will be of 1-hour duration at 8-weekly intervals. Over the 6-month intervention period the mentors will make 6 calls at 4-week intervals starting at week 2 then weeks 6, 10, 14, 18 and 22. Peer mentors will attend a 5-hour training course on how to support the participants and facilitate the problem solving approach of the goal-setting program.Mentors will be assisted with telephone call scripts to carry out this task. Adherence to the prescribed program will be assessed from self reported PA diaries. The mentors will also be monitoring adherence and keeping records via the telephone calls. The type, frequency, duration and intensity of the PA will be determined from these records. Adherence will be calculated as the number of minutes of moderate activity completed relative to the prescribed 150 minutes/week expressed as a percentage. In the proposed study, a mentor will be an important and relevant source of information and support. We hypothesise that this approach combined with the goal oriented intervention package (goal-mentor, GM-PA) will result in greater improvements in PA and physical function than standard education and peer standard contact (control, CO-PA). Community volunteers will be recruited and randomised to either be a peer goal-mentor for the intervention group or a Physical Activity Liaison for the Control group.
Sponsors
The University of Melbourne
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
FOR PARTICIPANTS 1) aged between 60 and 85 years old at last birthday; 2) community dwelling; 3) fulfils the criteria for Subjective Memory Complainer (SMC) or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). 4) Needs to understand spoken and written English 5) Needs to be able to attend visits to the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI) 6) Inactive (insufficiently active) defined as less than 60 minutes per week of regular moderate intensity leisure physical activity. FOR VOLUNTEER MENTORS/PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LIAISONS 1) aged 50-85 years 2) meets the PA guidelines of 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity PA 3) Needs to understand spoken and written English 4) Needs to be able to attend visits to the National Ageing Research Institute (NARI)
Exclusion criteria
FOR PARTICIPANTS 1) Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status – Modified (TICS-M) score < 19 (Those scoring lower than this will be excluded due to the likely presence of dementia); 2) baseline Mini-Mental State Examination score (MMSE) < 24; 3) diagnosis of dementia; 4) GDS-15 score > 6 (= no significant depression); 5) unstable or life threatening medical condition; 6) medical condition that contra-indicates moderate PA; 7) non-sedentary lifestyle 8) Body Mass Index (BMI) > 35; 9) severe visual or hearing impairment; 10) history of chronic alcohol abuse within the past five years; 11) unable to attend the follow-up visits.
Outcome results
None listed