NCT05411536

Attentional Focus Instructions and Conscious Movement Processing in Older Adults

The Effects of Attentional Focus Instructions on Real-time Conscious Movement Processing While Walking in a Challenging Environment for Older Adults at Risk of Falling in Hong Kong: Implications for Rehabilitation

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 106 (estimated)
• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years – 99 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study aims to provide a novel scientific contribution through addressing critical knowledge gaps, examining the effects of attentional focus instructions on real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity, gait parameters, and muscle efficiency in older adults in Hong Kong at risk of falling while walking in a challenging environment. The study results could update our scientific understanding of the mechanisms of conscious movement processing and the interventional effects of attentional focus instructions in older adults. It could ultimately enhance the methodology used for developing the most appropriate psychomotor gait re-education intervention in rehabilitation and provide clear guidelines on the exact attentional focus training that older adults require. Further, it could mitigate the effect of conscious movement processing and risk of falling in older adults.

Conditions

• Fall Injury
• Walking, Difficulty
• Gait, Unsteady

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Walking trials	All participants will complete a series of walking trials. They will first be requested to perform three practice walks followed by three walking trials on a 7.4m straight level-ground firm walkway (GW) and the other three walking trials on a 7.4m straight foam walkway (FW) in a randomised order. The dimension of the foam walkway in the FW will be 8m (length), 0.8m (width), and 0.3m (height). The starting and finishing lines of the FW will be positioned at 0.3m from each side of the FW's edges. Thus, the lengths of the FW and the GW will be identical (i.e., 7.4m). Participants will be asked to walk 7.4m and stop for each walking trial. After a 10-minute rest break, participants will perform nine walking trials on the GW and the other nine walking trials on the FW, including three repetitions of three different attentional focus instructions (external focus \[EF\], internal focus \[IF\], and no specific focus \[NF\]) in the GW and FW in a randomised order.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-07-15
• Primary completion: 2024-06-30
• Completion: 2024-06-30
• First posted: 2022-06-09
• Last updated: 2024-02-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China