NCT00959712

Computer Agents to Promote Walking in the Elderly

Computer Agents to Promote Walking in Older Adults With Low Health Literacy

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 263 (actual)
• Sponsor: Boston Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This proposal is a randomized control trial using innovative interactive health technologies to promote and sustain walking behavior among elderly patients. The technology uses an Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA), a computer character that simulates face-to-face conversation. The trial will be block randomized by literacy status and include an intensive two-month, daily contact intervention via a Tablet PC ECA in the subject's home, an automated telephone program, and then an in-clinic, kiosk-based ECA for an additional 10 months, to promote maintenance of walking behavior. The study will occur in 2 phases, a pilot phase in which 20 subjects will be enrolled for the purpose of pre- testing the intervention and all data collection instruments, and a main study phase in which an additional 264 subjects will be enrolled.

Conditions

• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	ECA Interaction	The technology uses a computer character (Embodied Conversational Agent (ECA)) that simulates face-to-face conversation. The ECA talks to the patient and the patient responds by tapping a touch-screen.

Timeline

• Start date: 2008-10-01
• Primary completion: 2011-09-01
• Completion: 2011-09-01
• First posted: 2009-08-17
• Last updated: 2023-06-29