Mild Cognitive Impairment
Conditions
Keywords
Mediterranean diet, Lifestyle
Brief summary
Evidence suggests that a Mediterranean diet can have a beneficial effect on brain health. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) describes problems with brain function such as difficulty with day-to-day memory and concentration. It is at this stage that Mediterranean diet could prove beneficial in terms of prevention. Previous research by Queens University investigated the opinions of patients with MCI and their care givers to inform the development of Mediterranean diet education material to encourage behaviour change. The study suggested that MCI patients lacked awareness of the link between Mediterranean diet and brain function, although were interested to learn more. Feedback on the developed educational material was positive although there were suggested improvements such as tailoring information to memory loss, a potential staged approach to delivery and adaptations to the material content. This present study aims to pilot test refined educational material among MCI participants to evaluate the feasibility of encouraging dietary behaviour change among this patient group.
Detailed description
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a theory-based, tailored Mediterranean lifestyle education intervention to encourage behaviour change in patients with MCI. The proposed study will be a 6 month RCT with a total of 60 MCI patients who will be randomised to 1 of 3 groups: 1. Group 1 will receive the Mediterranean lifestyle education resource on one occasion at baseline 2. Group 2 will receive the Mediterranean lifestyle education resource at monthly intervals for 5 months accompanied by telephone feedback from the research dietitian 3. Group 3 will receive standard care (control group). Participants will receive the Mediterranean lifestyle education resource after their final 6 month study visit (i.e. delayed intervention).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALThinkMed resource at baseline
The ThinkMed resource contains an information booklet, recipe books, menu plan cards, shopping list cards and goal setting cards. Participants will receive this resource on one occasion at baseline.
BEHAVIORALStandard Care Control
Participants will continue with the standard care provided by their physician. Participants will receive the ThinkMed resource after their final 6 month study visit (i.e. delayed intervention).
BEHAVIORALThinkMed resource (staged)
This group of participants will receive the ThinkMed resource at monthly intervals for 5 months accompanied by telephone feedback from the research dietitian
Sponsors
Wellcome Trust
Queen's University, Belfast
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment by their physician * Mediterranean diet score (MDS) less than or equal to 4 (Estruch et al., 2006) * Willing to make changes to their diet
Exclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of dementia * Patients with visual or English language impairment * Psychiatric problems * Significant medical comorbidity * Body Mass Index (BMI) ≤ 19 and ≥ 40 kg/m2 * Excessive alcohol consumption * Taking high dose nutritional supplements * Dietary restrictions/allergies that would substantially limit ability to complete study requirements * Inability to provide informed consent * History of, or comorbid condition which may alter performance on cognitive tests e.g. stroke, head injury, Parkinson's disease, learning disability
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) at 6 months | Baseline, 6 months | Mediterranean dietary intake will be measured by a validated questionnaire |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Sample | Baseline, 6 months | A blood sample will be taken from participants to be stored for analysis of biomarkers of MD adherence and biomarkers of neurodegenerative disease risk. |
| Staging Algorithm Questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure participants readiness to change their diet and lifestyle |
| Mediterranean Diet self-efficacy questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure participants self-efficacy |
| Mediterranean diet tolerance questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure tolerance to a Mediterranean diet |
| Physical Activity | Baseline, 6 months | RPAQ-Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire |
| Anthropometric measurements | Baseline, 6 months | Weight and height measurements to calculate BMI |
| Muscle Strength | Baseline, 6 months | Measured using a grip-strength dynamometer |
| Geriatric Depression Scale | Baseline, 6 months | Geriatric Depression Scale Questionnaire |
| Functional Assessment (1) | Baseline, 6 months | Measured by the instrumental activities of daily living scale (IADL) by Lawton and Brody (1969) questionnaire |
| Cognitive Assessment | Baseline, 6 months | A comprehensive cognitive assessment will be performed, including: global cognition, motor skills, executive function episodic/visual memory, and information processing and sustained attention using a validated neuropsychological test battery (Cantab Cognitive Battery, Cambridge Cognition Ltd.) |
| Barriers to consuming a Mediterranean Diet questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | Dietary behaviour change questionnaire to measure adherence to a Mediterranean diet |
| Functional Assessment (2) | Baseline, 6 months | Measured by the Bristol activities of daily living scale (Bucks et al. 1996) questionnaire |
| 4-day Food Diary | Baseline, 6 months | A food diary will be completed to assess compliance with a Mediterranean diet |
| Change in Lifestyle questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure change in lifestyle behaviours |
| Dietary Quality of Life questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure dietary quality of life |
| Mediterranean Diet Knowledge questionnaire | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure participants Mediterranean diet knowledge |
| Rand SF-36 HEALTH SURVEY | Baseline, 6 months | A questionnaire to measure participants views and beliefs on health |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Process Evaluation (3) - structured interviews | up to 3 months post intervention | Post intervention structured interviews for participant evaluation of the intervention programme and dietary educational materials |
| Process Evaluation (2) - study records | up to 3 months post intervention | A review of study records- including attrition rates, reason for dropout |
| Process Evaluation (1) - telephone contact evaluation | up to 3 months post intervention | Determination individual participation and engagement with the intervention by reviewing telephone contact log record and telephone checklist evaluation |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed