NCT03058146

Independent Walking for Brain Health

A Novel Mobile Health Exercise Intervention in Aging: Brain Perfusion and Cognition

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 53 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of California, San Diego · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Physical activity interventions with older adults can improve brain health; however most interventions have been performed in gym-like settings that reach a small sector of the senior population. Since not everyone can access a gym, it is important to study whether brisk walking in real world environments can also help brain health. This study will use mobile health devices to help older adults independently walk for brain health, thus representing a critical step towards the dissemination of physical activity intervention programs aimed at preserving cognitive function in aging.

Detailed description

Physical activity interventions conducted in supervised settings (laboratories and group settings) with older adults have consistently shown improved cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health and improved cognitive function. What is lacking is the development of interventions that take place in real world environments and that take advantage of new technologies to help objectively track real time physical activity behaviors. Real world physical activity interventions have the potential to reach a larger segment of the population and to enhance maintenance after the intervention period ends. This study will develop a novel physical activity intervention using mobile health technologies to promote physical activity levels likely to affect cerebral blood flow and cognition in real world environments in cognitively normal older adults. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 30 participants being assigned to the mobile health physical activity condition (walking in free-living environments tracked via mobile health technologies) and another 30 to an education control condition (at home reading about healthy aging materials) for 3 months.

Conditions

• Physical Activity
• Aging

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mobile Health Walking Condition	Physically inactive older adults in this condition will perform 3 months of prescribed brisk walking (to increase cardio respiratory fitness) in their real world environments, using mobile health (mHealth) devices during each exercise session to achieve and maintain a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week.
BEHAVIORAL	Healthy Aging Education Condition	The education control condition will provide participants with printed materials and homework assignments on issues related to successful aging, such as nutrition, social activity, cognitive and social engagement.

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-10-12
• Primary completion: 2020-05-18
• Completion: 2020-05-20
• First posted: 2017-02-20
• Last updated: 2023-07-17
• Results posted: 2023-07-17

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States