Aging
Conditions
Keywords
Aging, Remote monitoring, Home-based training, Cognitive Training, Physical Exercise, Cognition
Brief summary
The proposed COVEPIC trial is designed to document the effects of remote monitoring of physical exercise and home-based cognitive training on cognitive and physical functions in older adults.
Detailed description
Due to the actual pandemic of COVID-19 around the world, social distancing is recommended, which causes a reduction of social interaction and physical activity. Therefore, this health crisis may have collateral effects on cognitive, physical, and psychological health, especially in elderly people who are more likely to be isolated, and for whom social distancing is of paramount importance. Physical exercise practice has been demonstrated to improve cognitive functioning, along with mobility and physical capacity, and to promote psychological well-being. This is the reason why governmental health authorities, as well as the scientific community recommend to stay physically active, especially in this pandemic period. However, in the current context full-time physical training in sport centres cannot be largely promoted. Effective solutions to help older adults in maintaining regular and efficient physical exercise while maintaining social distancing, are thus needed. Consequently, the current project proposes first to investigate the potential of a remote monitoring of physical activity to promote cognitive, physical and psychological health of older adults. Also, considering the added benefits of combining cognitive training to physical exercise to further enhance health and cognition in seniors, this project also addresses the added benefits of a multidomain intervention combining a physical exercise intervention with a home-based cognitive training.
Interventions
Participants will be encouraged to complete exercise training programs in the form of video capsules available via Facebook or Youtube, created by kinesiologists of the Montreal Heart Institut EPIC prevention center. The videos last about 15 minutes and include a warm-up of 3 to 5 minutes, followed a 10-minute training and finally a 2-minute cool-down period. The exercises on video do not require any equipment and integrate, depending on the video, aerobic, muscular strengthening, flexibility and/or balance exercises. Several intensities are described according to the participants' level. Participants will be invited to perform exercise sessions at least 5 times a week, and will be monitored weekly by phone by a member of the research team. The exercise sessions can be performed at home using the video training program, as well as in sports centre or outdoors. For each session, participants have to report its duration, intensity, and the nature of the activity via a follow-up agenda.
OTHERCognitive training
Participants will be encouraged to perform sessions of cognitive training 3 times per week (30 minutes/session). Two of these sessions will involve computer or tablet-based attentional control training targeting dual-tasking, updating and working memory, as well as inhibition and switching. Difficulty of cognitive training will be tailored to participants' performances. The remaining session will consist of memory training. Participants will be instructed different mnemotechnic, as well as be taught about memory in aging in general. The memory training will be provided by videos capsules. To track adherence to cognitive training, participants will be asked to complete a journal and mark days and times where they took part in the various cognitive training sessions.
Sponsors
Louis Bherer
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
This clinical trial is a single-blinded study. Research personnel performing the outcome assessments at baseline, three, six and twelve months will be blinded to group allocation. Participants will be aware of the type of training they receive.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Adult aged 50 and older * Have access to internet * Have access to a tablet (i.e. iPad or Android) or a computer
Exclusion criteria
* Non-cardiopulmonary limitation to exercise (e.g., arthritis) * Severe exercise intolerance * Respiratory disease (e.g., asthma, COPD, COVID-19) * Mini Mental Scale Examination (MMSE) telephone version lower than 19/23 * Diagnostic of cardiovascular disease (e.g., chronic systolic and diastolic heart failure, somatic aortic stenosis, atrial fibrillation, malignant arrhythmias, documented atherosclerotic disease).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in general cognitive functioning | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Validated remote version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (0-28 score, with a higher score indicating a better cognitive functioning). |
| Change in executive functions | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Validated remote version of neuropsychological tests and iPad tests (Composite Z-score). |
| Change in processing speed | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Validated remote version of neuropsychological tests and iPad tests (Composite Z-score). |
| Change in episodic memory | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Validated remote version of neuropsychological tests and iPad tests (Composite Z-score). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Walking speed | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | 4-meter walking test (m/s). |
| Change in Cardiorespiratory fitness | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Matthews cardiorespiratory fitness questionnaire (the score is an estimation of individual VO2 max (ml.kg.min) and range from 15-50, with a higher score indicating a higher VO2max). |
| Change in Functional mobility | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Timed up and Go test (s). |
| Change in Balance performance | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Timed one-leg standing test (s). |
| Change in Lower limb muscles strength | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Timed Sit-to-Stand test (s). |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Sleep quality | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-21, with a higher score indicating worse sleep quality). |
| Change in Risk of sleep apnea | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Berlin Questionnaire (Participants are classified into High Risk or Low Risk based on their responses to the individual items and their overall scores in the symptom categories.High Risk: if there are 2 or more categories where the score is positive. Low Risk: if there is only 1 or no categories where the score is positive). |
| Dietary patterns | Baseline. | Short Diet Questionnaire (Score ranges from 15-45 points, with a score between 15-29 categorised as unhealthy, 30-37 as somewhat unhealthy, and 38 or more as a healthy diet). |
| Intolerance of Uncertainty | Baseline. | Intolerance of Uncertainty scale questionnaire (Score ranges from 27-135, with a higher score indicating higher intolerance of uncertainty). |
| Change in Quality-of-life | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (Scale ranges from 0-100, with a higher score indicating a better health status). |
| Perceived vulnerability to disease | Baseline. | Perceived vulnerability to disease questionnaire (Score ranges from 15-95, with a higher score indicating a higher perceived vulnerability to disease). |
| Cognitive Reserve | Baseline. | Rami and colleagues' cognitive reserve questionnaire (Scale ranges from 0-26, with a higher score indicating a greater cognitive reserve). |
| Self-reported masculinity and femininity traits | Baseline. | Short Form Bem Sex-Role Inventory questionnaire (30 items questionnaire with 10 items assessing the femininity traits, 10 items assessing the masculinity traits, and 10 items neutral, not scored. Two scores are calculated for femininity and masculinity, respectively, and range from 10-70, whit a higher score indicating a higher femininity or masculinity trait). |
| Anxiety Sensitivity | Baseline. | Anxiety Sensitivity Index questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-64, with a higher score indicating a higher sensitivity to anxiety). |
| Change in Depressive symptomatology | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Geriatric Depression Scale questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-30, with a higher score indicating larger depressive symptomatology). |
| Change in Anxiety | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaire (Score ranges from 20-80, with a higher score indicating higher anxiety). |
| Change in Perceived stress | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-4, with 0 no stress,1 mild stress, 3 moderate stress and 4 severe). |
| Change in Repetitive negative thinking | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Perseverative thinking questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-60, with a higher score indicating more repetitive negative thinking). |
| Change in Self-perceived resilience | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10 questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-40, with a higher indicating better the resilience). |
| Change in Perceived social support | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Lubben Social Network Scale questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-30, with a higher score indicating more social engagement). |
| Change in Social and community activities involvement | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Social and community involvement questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-200, with a higher score indicating more social and community involvement). |
| Change in Self-reported physical activity | Baseline and post-intervention at 6 months. | Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly questionnaire (Score ranges from 0-400, with a higher score indicating better level of physical activity). |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed