NCT06094413

Effects of Multicomponent Training in Older Adults

The Effects of an 8-week Multicomponent Training Program on Quality of Life, Fear of Falling, &Amp; Physical Performance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 20 (actual)
• Sponsor: Geisinger Clinic · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of the study was to determine whether community-dwelling older adults would experience improved patient-reported outcomes and physical performance after completing an 8-week multicomponent exercise training program when compared to a control group who did not complete the intervention. As an additional aim, subjects who participated in the exercise intervention were asked about their experiences to identify factors that contributed to positive health behaviors in community-dwelling older adults.

Detailed description

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome which involves the progressive loss of muscle mass and physical performance in aging adults. The age-related decline inherent to sarcopenia has been associated with an increased risk of falls, disability, and mortality. Exercise is a non-pharmacological intervention that has been shown to prevent and manage age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, however there is limited research regarding its effect on patient-reported outcomes in older adults. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of an 8-week multicomponent training program on quality of life, fear of falling, and physical performance in community-dwelling older adults. A convenient sample of community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older from an outpatient medical center in Northeast Pennsylvania were recruited to participate. Eligible subjects volunteered to participate in the intervention, which consisted of two group-based sixty-minute standardized sessions per week supervised by an experienced professional in the outpatient medical center, or a control group composed of patients who did not perform the intervention. Outcomes testing was performed for both groups prior to, at the mid-point (4 weeks), and following the completion of the exercise intervention (8 weeks). Semi-structured, individual interviews with selected participants who completed the intervention were conducted by the researcher in the designated research environment to assess barriers, drivers, and the overall experience of the intervention. The study evaluated the following research questions: 1. Will an 8-week multicomponent exercise intervention improve quality of life in community-dwelling older adults with probable sarcopenia? 2. Will an 8-week multicomponent exercise intervention improve fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults with probable sarcopenia? 3. Will an 8-week multicomponent exercise intervention improve physical performance in community-dwelling older adults with probable sarcopenia? 4. Will an 8-week multicomponent exercise intervention improve hand grip strength in community-dwelling older adults with probable sarcopenia? 5. What are the drivers and barriers of exercise adherence for community-dwelling older adults with probable sarcopenia who experienced an 8-week multicomponent exercise intervention? A two-way ANOVA (group x time) was utilized for data analysis to determine between-group effects. Tukey post hoc testing was used to evaluate where differences occurred (pre-, mid-, post-). General ideas and emerging themes were inductively coded by the researcher and an independent content specialist utilizing the data from post-intervention interview transcripts. The study was significant because it assessed whether the program was a feasible intervention that could be implemented by providers to aid in the management of age-related loss of muscle strength and physical performance for community-dwelling older adults. The findings of this study offered providers evidence-based practices that could be used for effective multicomponent exercise training prescription.

Conditions

• Sarcopenia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Multicomponent Training Intervention	The intervention was implemented and supervised by a well-trained, highly experienced professional with post-graduate education in the fields of exercise science and health promotion. Each session consisted of three phases: warm-up/initiation, conditioning, and cooldown. The intervention was composed of aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility exercises. At each session subjects werre informed of the program goals and the methods used to document exercise tolerance of the session's training loads. The quality of the intervention was measured by patient compliance, adherence, and feedback such as rates of perceived exertion (RPE) which were monitored during the session to measure immediate effect of the intervention. Progressions were guided by individual responsiveness and measured by RPE. Progressions were based on the training principles of specificity, adaptability, and overload.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-03-04
• Primary completion: 2024-12-17
• Completion: 2024-12-17
• First posted: 2023-10-23
• Last updated: 2025-02-05

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States