The study targets the walking behavior of inactive, mobility-limited, community-dwelling older adults aged 65+. Other
Conditions
Interventions
The study is designed as a prospective, two-arm randomized controlled trial (single-centre). Balanced permuted block randomization with variable block sizes will be used to allocate participants to gr
Sponsors
University of Basel
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Age 65 years and older 2. Living in own home 3. Self-reported mobility limitation, defined as at least “some difficulty” in either walking 2 km or climbing one flight of stairs 4. Ability to walk short distances outdoors (minimum 200 metres) 5. At least one chronic disease according to the “Self-Administered Comorbidity Questionnaire” (SCQ): heart disease, high blood pressure, lung disease, diabetes, ulcer or stomach disease, kidney disease, anemia or other blood diseases, cancer, depression, osteoarthritis, degenerative arthritis, back pain and/or rheumatoid arthritis 6. Medical clearance by study physician 7. Written informed consent
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Inability to attend or complete the proposed course of intervention 2. Having a second home location and regularly spending more than 2 days per week at the second location 3. Being a spouse or living in the same household as a study participant 4. Regularly performing exercises, sporting activities or leisure activities of at least moderate intensity for more than 2 hours per week 6. Walking outdoors for more than 3 hours per week 7. High risk for adverse events related to physical activity (based on the study physician’s judgement); medical exclusion criteria include: untreated arterial hypertension or significantly elevated resting blood pressure (>180/100 mmHg) despite antihypertensive medication; higher-level chronic heart failure (New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III-IV); higher-level chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) stage IV); acute psychiatric disorder (e.g. severe depression); advanced terminal illness; having suffered a clinically relevant cardiovascular event (e.g. unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary angiography and/or angioplasty), a clinically relevant cerebrovascular event (e.g. stroke, recurrent TIA), or deterioration of insufficiently controlled diabetes within the previous 3 months; a HbA1c >10% (if available); or having suffered an injurious fall requiring medical treatment within the past 12 months. 8. On-going rehabilitation measures following an inpatient surgical procedure 9. Concurrent participation in another clinical trial
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Average steps per day are measured using an accelerometry at baseline (T0), directly after the 15-week intervention period (T1) and after another 8 months of follow-up (T2) | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The following secondary outcome measures will be assessed at baseline (T0), directly after the 15-week intervention period (T1) and after another 8 months of follow-up (T2): 1. Time spent lying, sitting, standing and stepping (and the respective bout lengths) measured using an accelerometry over 7 days 2. Real-life mobility measured using GPS over 7 days and by the University of Alabama at Birmingham Life Space Assessment 3. Physical function measured using the following battery of functional tests: 3.1. Standing balance measured using postural sway during 10s of semi-tandem stance on a force platform 3.2. Lower body strength measured using a timed test of 5 sit-to-stand repetitions on a force platform 3.3. Habitual and maximum walking speed measured using 10m walks using a light barrier system 3.4. Basic functional mobility and coordination measured using timed up-and-go test 4. Health-related quality of life measured by the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Survey 5. Active aging measured using the University of Jyvaskyla Active Aging Scale 6. Fear of falling measured using the Falls Efficacy Scale – International Version 7. Health behavior change measured using a self-report based on the constructs of the Health Action Process Approach model | — |
Countries
Switzerland
Contacts
Public ContactTimo Hinrichs
Outcome results
None listed