Boxing Training, Physical-functional Fitness and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults

NCT05826314 | Active Not Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: 262022
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 75
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of the study is to evaluate and to compare the effects of two exercise regimes (Boxing Training -BT and Multicomponent Training -MT) and 12 weeks of follow-up on cognitive health status, physical-functional fitness, and risk of falls in community-dwelling elders. This is a quasi-experimental controlled trial using a parallel-group design. Participants will be allocated to 3 groups (i.e. BT, MT or control group \[no intervention\]). Both exercise programs (BT and MT) will last 24 weeks, twice a week, 45 minutes per session. Participants of all groups will be assessed for Senior Fitness test, and body weight at 4 moments (baseline, 12 weeks and 24 weeks of exercise and a follow-up period lasting 12 weeks). Our hypotheses are:

1. 1.In comparison with the control group, both exercise groups (BT and MT) will positively improve their physical-functional fitness, cognitive health status and risk of falls with the interventions
2. 2.The observed effects on physical-functional fitness, cognitive health status, and risk of falls as a result of the exercise programs will be similar.
3. 3.During the follow-up period, both exercise groups will experiment reductions on physical-functional fitness, cognitive health status, and risk of falls.

Conditions

Healthy People Programs

Keywords

Public health; Boxing; Elderly; Physical Activity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (18)

• Change from baseline Upper Body Power at 3 months and at 6 months, respectively.

  This will be tested with a 3 kg (Ø 0.60 m) medical ball. Each subject will sit in a chair with the posterior region of the trunk positioned against the back of the chair and hold the ball forward with both hands. Three approved trials will be conducted with one-minute rest intervals between each trial to ensure that fatigue or learning effects do not influence performance. The maximum throwing distance will be determined using a flexible steel tape. Only the best attempt will be used for further analysis (24).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) at 6 months

  Modified Bruce Treadmill Test - This sub-maximal test with incremental protocol including seven stages and performed on a treadmill, standard an open-circuit spirometer technique (Cosmed K5b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy) will be used.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline Lower-body strength and power at 6 months

  The knee extensors and flexors will be evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer (Biodex System 2, USA) at two different angular velocities: 60°/s and 180°/s (22).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline cognitive performance (Inhibition/cognitive flexibility) at 6 months

  The Stroop Color and Word Test (parameters: words, colors, and words/colors) will be selected to assess response inhibition/cognitive flexibility (14).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline cognitive performance (Processing speed) at 6 months

  Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST, subtest of the Wechsler test of adult intelligence WAIS III) (16, 17) will be used as a measure of high-level information processing speed.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline cognitive performance (Selective recall test) at 6 months

  Selective recall test \[SRT-List A; parameters: consistent long-term recall, long-term storage, delayed recall, and intrusions\] to assess verbal learning and multiple-trial memory (14).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline cognitive performance (Verbal short-term memory and verbal working memory) at 6 months

  The forward digit advancement (DS) test was selected to assess verbal short-term memory and the backward DS to assess verbal working memory (subtest of the Wechsler test of intelligence for adults WAIS III) and total DS score (total DS; calculated by adding forward DS and backward DS) (14, 16).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline cognitive performance (Memory) at 6 months

  Consortium to establish a registry for the Alzheimer's Disease List Test (CERAD), will be used: word list memory; word list recall; and word list recognition. The parameters: total hits and delayed recall hits (13, 14).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline Psychological testing (Depression) at 6 months

  The geriatric depression scale (GDS, short version) (18) will be used for depressive symptoms assessment. The GDS-15 evaluates depressive symptoms during the last week and has a dichotomous response scale (Yes/No). On 10 items (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15) the answer Yes is rated 1 point and on the remaining items (1, 5, 7, 11, and 13) the answer No is rated 1 point, in the sense that the score indicates presence of depressive symptomatology. The total score of the items is processed by summing the scores on the 15 items, ranging from 0 to 15 points. The 15-item version of the GDS showed the ability to differentiate depressed from nondepressed subjects (18).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline Psychological testing (Anxiety and depression) at 6 months

  Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) will be used (19). Although the HADS is considered an effective instrument for assessing depressive symptoms in hospital settings, it is a screening measure, and it is of utmost importance to be followed by a psychological assessment. This scale consists of two subscales, one for anxiety and the other for depression. A score between 0 to 7 means absence of depressive or anxious symptoms; a score between 8 to 10 means a possible case of depression or anxiety; and from 11 to 21 as a probable case.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline Psychological testing (Stress) at 6 months

  Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) (20) will be used to assess perceived stress.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from baseline on Risk of Falls at 6 months

  Risk of falls will be evaluated through the Biodex® Balance System (Biodex, Shirley, NY, EUA), using the Fall Risk Test protocol in which the platform is unstable and allows to obtain the risk index and modified version of the Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (CTSIB).

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from baseline on Handgrip strength to 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months of follow-up, respectively

  The handgrip strength will be measured with a Jamar Plus + Digital hand dynamometer (Sammons Preston Inc., Bolingbrook, Illinois, USA). Measurements will be carried out following the American Society of Hand Therapists recommendations, and each participant will perform three attempts with a pause of 1 min between them. Three attempts will be made for each hand, using the maximum value of the three registers.

  Baseline, after 3 months of intervention, 6 months, 3 months follow-up

• Change from Baseline Brain Activity at 6 months

  This will be analyzed using an electromyography (EEG) system. All EEG signals will be acquired with the ActiCHamp®, Brain Products,GmbH. With an international 10-20 system with standard 32-channel electrode layout with reference and ground electrodes. The ground will be located on the forehead and the reference will be the Cz channel of the ActiCHamp® equipment. For each participant, the same equipment will be used in all sessions.

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from baseline Physical-Functional Fitness (upper and lower body strength) at 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months of follow-up, respectively

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) (23). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The chair stand test to assess the strength of the lower body, counting the number of repetitions made in 30s. And the arm curl test to assess the strength on the upper body, using a 3lb (women) and 5lb (men) dumbbell, counting the number of repetitions made in 30s.

  Baseline, after 3 months of intervention, 6 months, 3 months follow-up

• Change from baseline Physical-Functional Fitness (8-Foot Up and Go Test) at 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months follow-up, respectively.

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) (23). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The stand up, walk 8-foot distance (2,44 meters), turn the cone marker around and return to the seated position. The time, in seconds, necessary to complete this test will be registered.

  Baseline, after 3 months of intervention, 6 months, 3 months follow-up.

• Change from baseline Physical-Functional Fitness (six-minute walk test) at 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months follow-up, respectively.

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) (23). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The participants will be asked to walk the longer distance in 6 min time along a corredor.

  Time Frame: Baseline, after 3 months of intervention, 6 months, 3 months follow-up

• Change from baseline Physical-Functional Fitness (upper and lower body flexibility) at 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months follow-up, respectively.

  Physical-functional fitness is going to be measured via the Senior Fitness Test (SFT) (23). This physical battery includes lower and upper-body strength (30-second chair stand and 30-second arm curl tests, respectively), agility/dynamic balance (8-foot up-and-go test), aerobic endurance (six-minute walk test) and lower and upper-body flexibility (chair sit-and-reach and back scratch tests, respectively). The chair sit \& reach test to assess the flexibility of the lower body, measured in cm. And the back scratch test to assess flexibility on the upper body, measured in cm.

  ime Frame: Baseline, after 3 months of intervention, 6 months, 3 months follow-up

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Sociodemographic Assessments are going to measured at baseline.

  Baseline

• Change from baseline Quality of Life at 6 months

  Baseline, 6 months

• Change from Baseline Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index at 6 months

  Baseline, 6 months

• Exercise satisfaction

  6 months

• Change from Baseline body mass, fat-free mass, fat mass at 3 and 6 months of exercise and 3-months of follow-up, respectively

  Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 3 months follow-up

Other Outcomes (4)

• Change from baseline Caloric Intake at 6 months

  Baseline, 6 months

• Exercise intensity

  6 months, during the intervention

• Applicability of the interventions

  6 months during the intervention

Study Arms (3)

Experimental group 1 (adapted boxing)

EXPERIMENTAL

Experimental boxing - The general structure of adapted boxing will include a 10-minute warm-up consisting of walking at a slow, self-selected speed, and at the same time joint rotation exercises; followed by 25-30 minutes of adapted boxing (consisting of non-contact activities, distributed in coordination and balance/footwork, shadow boxing-choreography (sequence of arm and leg movements that simulate an imaginary fight and punching bag), to end the session there will be a content fixation exercise, relaxation with gentle movements and breathing for 5 -10 minutes.

Other: Boxing training

Experimental group 2 (multi-component training)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Sessions will be divided in 10 minutes warm-up (including slow walk, postural and mobility exercises for general activation, and stretching exercises), specific training (25-30 minutes, including balance/coordination training, strength, and aerobic exercises) and cool down 5 - 10 minutes (breathing and stretching exercises for the main worked joints and muscles) following the main guidelines recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine (4) and the WHO (3).

Other: Exercise

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants from the control group will participate in all assessments moments, and will be asked to maintain their usual activities. At the end of the intervention period, the control group will be invited to participate in a physical activity program that takes place at the University.

Interventions

Boxing training OTHER

Training protocol will be held for 24 weeks, twice per week/ 45 min per sessions.

Also known as: Combat sports

Experimental group 1 (adapted boxing)

Exercise OTHER

Training protocol will be held for 24 weeks, twice per week/ 45 min per sessions.

Also known as: Multicomponent training

Experimental group 2 (multi-component training)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Male or female participants aged ≥60 years;
• Community-dwelling older adults;
• Do not present any medical contraindication for physical activity;

You may not qualify if:

• Individuals diagnosed with certain disorders or conditions in which exercise is contraindicated such as unstable or ongoing cardiovascular and/or respiratory disorders;
• Presence of major neurological and Neurocognitive disorders (Portuguese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment - MoCA) (12);

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Universidade do Porto: lead
• Faculdade de Desporto da Universidade do Porto: collaborator
• Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Faculty of Sport, University of Porto

Porto, Porto District, 4200371, Portugal

Location

Related Publications (10)

• Santos-Eggimann B, Sirven N. Screening for frailty: older populations and older individuals. Public Health Rev. 2016 Aug 22;37:7. doi: 10.1186/s40985-016-0021-8. eCollection 2016.

  PMID: 29450049 BACKGROUND

• Hill NL, Bhargava S, Brown MJ, Kim H, Bhang I, Mullin K, Phillips K, Mogle J. Cognitive complaints in age-related chronic conditions: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2021 Jul 7;16(7):e0253795. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253795. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34234373 BACKGROUND

• Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, Borodulin K, Buman MP, Cardon G, Carty C, Chaput JP, Chastin S, Chou R, Dempsey PC, DiPietro L, Ekelund U, Firth J, Friedenreich CM, Garcia L, Gichu M, Jago R, Katzmarzyk PT, Lambert E, Leitzmann M, Milton K, Ortega FB, Ranasinghe C, Stamatakis E, Tiedemann A, Troiano RP, van der Ploeg HP, Wari V, Willumsen JF. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec;54(24):1451-1462. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955.

  PMID: 33239350 BACKGROUND

• Streit IA, Pinto SS, Silva ADS, Bezerra ES. Body weight multicomponent program improves power and functional capacity responses in older adults: A quasi-experimental study. Exp Gerontol. 2021 Nov;155:111553. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2021.111553. Epub 2021 Sep 14.

  PMID: 34534623 BACKGROUND

• Hunter SK, Pereira HM, Keenan KG. The aging neuromuscular system and motor performance. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2016 Oct 1;121(4):982-995. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00475.2016. Epub 2016 Aug 11.

  PMID: 27516536 BACKGROUND

• Origua Rios S, Marks J, Estevan I, Barnett LM. Health benefits of hard martial arts in adults: a systematic review. J Sports Sci. 2018 Jul;36(14):1614-1622. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2017.1406297. Epub 2017 Nov 21.

  PMID: 29157151 BACKGROUND

• Domingos J, Radder D, Riggare S, Godinho C, Dean J, Graziano M, de Vries NM, Ferreira J, Bloem BR. Implementation of a Community-Based Exercise Program for Parkinson Patients: Using Boxing as an Example. J Parkinsons Dis. 2019;9(3):615-623. doi: 10.3233/JPD-191616.

  PMID: 31282426 BACKGROUND

• Shearin S, Braitsch M, Querry R. The effect of a multi-modal boxing exercise program on cognitive locomotor tasks and gait in persons with Parkinson disease. NeuroRehabilitation. 2021;49(4):619-627. doi: 10.3233/NRE-210218.

  PMID: 34806626 BACKGROUND

• Combs SA, Diehl MD, Staples WH, Conn L, Davis K, Lewis N, Schaneman K. Boxing training for patients with Parkinson disease: a case series. Phys Ther. 2011 Jan;91(1):132-42. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20100142. Epub 2010 Nov 18.

  PMID: 21088118 BACKGROUND

• Thompson PD, Arena R, Riebe D, Pescatello LS; American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's new preparticipation health screening recommendations from ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription, ninth edition. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2013 Jul-Aug;12(4):215-7. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0b013e31829a68cf. No abstract available.

  PMID: 23851406 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Lucimere Bohn, PhD

  Universidade do Porto

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Kessketlen Miranda, PhD student

  Universidade do Porto

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: PhD

Model Details: The study includes a quasi-experimental design (non-randomized controlled trial), with repeated measures.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 20, 2023
• First Posted: April 24, 2023
• Study Start: October 17, 2023
• Primary Completion: April 1, 2025
• Study Completion: August 1, 2025
• Last Updated: September 19, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

PT (1)