Virtual Tai ji Quan Exercise to Prevent Falls in Older Adults

NCT05822466 | Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: R01AG081206
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 620
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

To examine two different exercise programs in reducing incidence of falls among community-dwelling older adults

Conditions

Accidental Fall

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Self-reported number of falls

  This measure will reflect change in the incidence of falls as a result of intervention. Study participants will be given a falls calendar to record number of falls at home. Falls are defined as "when you land on the floor or the ground, or fall and hit objects like stairs or pieces of furniture, by accident." This information will be ascertained monthly via a phone call by study assessors

  Monthly, baseline to 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• Timed up and Go (TUG)

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• 30-second chair stand

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• Dual-task walking

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

Other Outcomes (6)

• Activity-specific Balance Confidence (ABC)

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

• Geriatric Depression Scale

  Baseline, 4 months, 6 months, and 12 months

Study Arms (2)

Virtual tai ji quan

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants participating are intervened with practice and drills of tai ji quan forms and associated movements. Training focuses on lower-extremity strength, postural control, and mobility, with an emphasis on weight bearing and weight shifting, extending and controlling the body's center of mass over its base of support; self-induced movement perturbation; gait preparation, initiation, locomotion, and termination; and sensory integration. The exercise training also emphasizes connecting tai ji quan forms to transitional movements that are associated with performing daily activities. Each session includes brief movement-based warm-ups and light breathing cool-down exercises.

Behavioral: Virtual tai ji quan: moving for better balance intervention (V-TJQMBB)

Virtual multimodal exercise

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants participating are intervened with a multicomponent exercise program that involves light walking, strength, postural control, and flexibility exercises. Walking exercises include amble forward and backward walk, long strides, heel-toe walking, narrow- and wide-base walking, and sidestepping. Strength training includes single- and multi-joint exercises such as semi-squats, lunging forward and sideways, and toe stands that involve exercising ankle dorsiflexors, knee extensors, and hip abductors. Balance training involves semi-tandem foot-standing, heel-toe and line walking, single-leg standing, alternation of the base of support, weight transfers, toe and heel movements, and various reaching and stretching movements away from the center of the base of support. Flexibility exercises include a static stretching routine of major upper and lower body muscle groups. Each session includes brief movement-based warm-ups and light breathing cool-down exercises.

Behavioral: Virtual multimodal exercise intervention (V-Multimodal)

Interventions

Virtual tai ji quan: moving for better balance intervention (V-TJQMBB) BEHAVIORAL

This intervention involves a tai ji quan exercise program, named tai ji quan: moving for better balance

Also known as: V-TJQMBB

Virtual tai ji quan

Virtual multimodal exercise intervention (V-Multimodal) BEHAVIORAL

This intervention involves a multimodal exercise program that consists of balance, strength, light walking, and stretching exercises

Also known as: V-Multimodal

Virtual multimodal exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years - 90 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• age between 65 and 90 years and
• having had 1 or more falls in the preceding 12 months or having a score ≥12 seconds on the Timed Up\&Go (TUG) test.

You may not qualify if:

• showing a diagnosis of dementia or significant cognitive impairment, as indicated by a score of \<24 on the Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE, range: 0-30);
• being unable to ambulate independently for household distances; (c) having no medical clearance;
• having participated in any regular and structured tai ji quan-based or multicomponent exercise programs (≥2 times weekly) in the preceding 6 months;
• having any physical condition that would preclude participation in moderate-intensity exercise; and
• being unwilling to commit to the duration of the intervention or accept group assignment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Oregon Research Institute: lead

Study Sites (1)

Oregon Research Institute

Springfield, Oregon, 97477, United States

RECRUITING

Central Study Contacts

Fuzhong Li, Ph.D.

CONTACT

541-484-2123; fuzhongl@ori.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 10, 2023
• First Posted: April 20, 2023
• Study Start: September 29, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 30, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2029
• Last Updated: February 3, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

US (1)