Topic: Primary Care
Conditions
Interventions
Activity diaries
Participants will be asked to complete an activity diary for each of the 7 days between the first and the second visit. They will be provided with diaries to fill in w
the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB
Guralnik et al., 1994). This test includes home-based assessments of leg strength, walking speed and balance. It is a test which can be applied safely to older participants by non-clinicians, causes n
Sponsors
University of Bath (UK)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Aged 65 and over 2. Living independently in their own homes in a rural area The former inclusion criterion was chosen because the World Health Organisation (WHO) defines older adults as individuals over the age of 65. The latter was chosen due to our focus on increasing knowledge about what could keep rural-dwelling older people healthy and living independently in their own homes for as long as possible. To do this, the sample needs to be limited to older adults who are still, at present, living in the community, not in residential homes. Target Gender: Male & Female ; Lower Age Limit 65 years
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's 2. Living in residential care settings 3. Having any condition/circumstance which the GP deems will lead to undue stress with the receipt of a questionnaire including items on loneliness (e.g., end-stage palliative illness or recently bereaved) The first exclusion criterion was chosen to ensure that participants are able to give informed consent and able to provide answers for the primary and secondary variables; recalling loneliness and out of house activities, as well as recalling significant life events and transitions in the qualitative stage of the project. This criteria also allows the questionnaire to be kept more brief, as a Mini Mental State construct to assess participants' ability to answer a questionnaire will not need to be included. The second exclusion criteria was chosen because this study aims to identify lifestyle factors which could enable older adults to remain independent for as long as possible. To do this, it is necessary to focus on those who are still living independently. The third exclusion criterion will ensure that only participants for whom the protocol contains no risk of harm will be recruited. The GPs in each of the three NHS practices will be responsible for following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, so that confidential patient information will not be passed onto researchers.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity, measured using data from waist-mounted accelerometers collected over 7 consecutive days | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Loneliness, measured using questionnaire responses. Questionnaires will be interviewer-administered. Timepoint(s): First visit, at the start of the 7 days 2. Social isolation/integration, measured using questionnaire responses. Questionnaires will be interviewer-administered. Timepoint(s): First visit, at the start of the 7 days 3. Social participation, measured using questionnaire responses. Questionnaires will be interviewer-administered. Timepoint(s): Measured over 7 days 4. Weekly frequency of journeys out of the house, measured using the accounts on the 7-day activity diaries (response categories in the diary structured like a questionnaire of a mixture of closed and open-ended questions) | — |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed