A Digital Active Aging Training Program for Older Adults

NCT06270862 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: SSHRC-PEG2023-AAT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 240
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The proposed project aims to develop and validate a multi-dimensional digital active aging program integrated with resilience to promote the biopsychosocial functions of older adults aged 60, including Chinese older immigrants in Canada (Study 1) and English-speaking White Canadian older adults (Study 2). The proposed study takes a typical pretest-training-posttest design. Pretest and posttest: a battery of outcome measures on physical, psychological, and social functions will be administered to all participants. Data will also be used to identify sociodemographic risk predictors for outcome variables (i.e., biopsychosocial functions and resilience). Training: the participants will be randomly assigned to three arms to receive 4 weeks of 16 training/practice/control treatment sessions delivered via Zoom. In the "active aging with resilience (AR)" condition, participants will complete physical, cognitive, and social engagement training modules, starting with a 30-min resilience-building module. The traditional "active aging" (AA) training involves the same multi-domain active aging training without the initial resilience-building module. The "workshop training" (WT) control condition involves workshops following the same 4-week schedule on aging-related topics.

Conditions

Healthy Aging; Cognitive Change; Psychological Stress; Loneliness; Social Interaction

Keywords

Older adults; Active aging; Digital intervention; Resilience

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (12)

• Exercise Self-efficacy level (ESES)

  (out of 40) higher score means better self-efficacy at carrying out regular physical activities and exercise.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• the 5-item World Health Organization WellBeing Index (WHO-5)

  (out of 25) higher score indicates better overall self-perception of wellbeing in the past 2 weeks

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

  (out of 50) higher score indicates worse overall mental health

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)

  (out of 7) higher score indicates higher levels of self-precepted social support

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale 10-item (CD RISC-10)

  (out of 40) higher score indicates higher resilience in face of difficulty in life.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Emotional regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

  Cognitive reappraisal (out of 42) and expressive suppression (out of 28). Higher score indicates higher inclination to use this facet to control their emotions.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

  Positive affect (out of 50) and negative affect (out of 50). Higher score indicates feelings of higher levels of the positive/negative affect at the moment.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Visual working memory test

  Assessed using computerized games from CogniFit. Higher score indicates better visual short-term memory and memory span.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Divided attention test

  Assessed using computerized games from CogniFit. Higher score indicates better ability to divide attention between two competing tasks.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Visual memory test

  Assessed using computerized games from CogniFit. Higher score indicates better ability to memorize and recognize shapes and sequence order of visual object.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Stroop test

  Assessed using computerized games from CogniFit. Higher score indicates better ability to inhibit irrelevant information in tasks.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Sustained attention to response test

  Assessed using computerized games from CogniFit. Higher score indicates better ability to sustain attention to show rapid response to targets when present.

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(IADL)

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• The 6-item De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

• The Brief Approach/Avoidance Coping Questionnaire (BACQ)

  (1) pre-test (2) through study completion, an average of 1 month (3) 1-month post study completion

Study Arms (3)

Active aging with resilience (AR)

EXPERIMENTAL

In the "active aging with resilience (AR)" condition, participants will complete physical, cognitive, and social engagement training modules, starting with a 15-min resilience-building module.

Behavioral: Resilience training; Behavioral: cognitive training; Behavioral: physical exercise; Behavioral: social interaction

Active aging without resilience (AA)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

The traditional "active aging" (AA) training involves the same multi-domain active aging training without the initial resilience-building module, which will be replaced by watching 15 minutes of educational video on topics such as health, nature or travel.

Behavioral: cognitive training; Behavioral: physical exercise; Behavioral: social interaction

Workshop training (WT)

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The "workshop training" (WT) control condition involves workshops following the same 4-week schedule on aging-related topics.

Behavioral: workshop series

Interventions

Resilience training BEHAVIORAL

Receive mini course on what is resilience and how to use different exercises to be more resilient in life.

Active aging with resilience (AR)

cognitive training BEHAVIORAL

Play games that trains attention, memory and planning using the services provided by CogniFit.

Active aging with resilience (AR); Active aging without resilience (AA)

physical exercise BEHAVIORAL

Engage in age-appropriate physical exercises.

Active aging with resilience (AR); Active aging without resilience (AA)

social interaction BEHAVIORAL

Engage in social discussion with peers in the group.

Active aging with resilience (AR); Active aging without resilience (AA)

workshop series BEHAVIORAL

Watch a series of workshops targeting the older adult population.

Workshop training (WT)

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Study 1(Chinese group):
• Aged 65 or over and healthy
• Chinese migrant (e.g., Canadian citizens, immigrants, visitors that are born and raised in the Chinese culture)
• Can speak, read and write Mandarin
• Having access to a computer that has internet and allows Zoom meeting attendance
• Study 2(Canadian group):
• Aged 65 or over and healthy
• White Canadian citizen
• Can speak, read and write English
• Having access to a computer that has internet and allows Zoom meeting attendance

You may not qualify if:

• Scored 10 or above on the Short blessed test (SBT)
• Unfit for light physical exercises
• Without access to a computer and internet
• With current or previous mental health diagnosis

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Toronto Metropolitan University: lead
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada: collaborator
• AGE-WELL and the Canadian Frailty Network: collaborator
• Cogniciti: collaborator
• Cognifit: collaborator
• Aging in Cloud: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Cognitive Aging Lab

Toronto, Ontario, M5B 2K3, Canada

RECRUITING

Related Publications (36)

• Armitage R, Nellums LB. COVID-19 and the consequences of isolating the elderly. Lancet Public Health. 2020 May;5(5):e256. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(20)30061-X. Epub 2020 Mar 20. No abstract available.

  PMID: 32199471 BACKGROUND

• Carstensen LL, Shavit YZ, Barnes JT. Age Advantages in Emotional Experience Persist Even Under Threat From the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychol Sci. 2020 Nov;31(11):1374-1385. doi: 10.1177/0956797620967261. Epub 2020 Oct 26.

  PMID: 33104409 BACKGROUND

• Bandura, A. (2006). Guide for constructing self-efficacy scales. In: Urdan T, Pajares F (eds.) Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Adolescents. New York, NY, USA: Information Age Publishing.

  BACKGROUND

• Chappell, N. L. & Havens, B. (1980). Old and Female: Testing the Double Jeopardy Hypothesis. The Sociological Quarterly, 21(2), 157-171,

  BACKGROUND

• Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S. The Satisfaction With Life Scale. J Pers Assess. 1985 Feb;49(1):71-5. doi: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13.

  PMID: 16367493 BACKGROUND

• Dong X. Elder abuse in Chinese populations: a global review. J Elder Abuse Negl. 2015;27(3):196-232. doi: 10.1080/08946566.2015.1039154. Epub 2015 Apr 15.

  PMID: 25874889 BACKGROUND

• Finset, A., Steine, S., Haugli, L., Steen, E., Laerum, E. (2002). The brief approach/avoidance coping questionnaire: Development and validation. Psychology, health & medicine, 7(1):75-85

  BACKGROUND

• Galea S, Merchant RM, Lurie N. The Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 and Physical Distancing: The Need for Prevention and Early Intervention. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Jun 1;180(6):817-818. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.1562. No abstract available.

  PMID: 32275292 BACKGROUND

• Gao, Z. (2021). Unsettled Belongings: Chinese immigrants' mental health nulnerability as a symptom of international politics in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(2), 198-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167820980620

  BACKGROUND

• De Jong Gierveld, J., & Van Tilburg, T. (2006). A 6-Item Scale for Overall, Emotional, and Social Loneliness: Confirmatory Tests on Survey Data. Research on Aging, 28(5), 582-598. https://doi.org/10.1177/0164027506289723

  BACKGROUND

• Kanning, M., Schlicht, W. (2008). A bio-psycho-social model of successful aging as shown through the variable "physical activity". European Review of Aging and Physical Activity, 5, 79-87. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11556-008-0035-4

  BACKGROUND

• Kessler RC, Andrews G, Colpe LJ, Hiripi E, Mroczek DK, Normand SL, Walters EE, Zaslavsky AM. Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychol Med. 2002 Aug;32(6):959-76. doi: 10.1017/s0033291702006074.

  PMID: 12214795 BACKGROUND

• Lai DW, Surood S. Chinese health beliefs of older Chinese in Canada. J Aging Health. 2009 Feb;21(1):38-62. doi: 10.1177/0898264308328636.

  PMID: 19144968 BACKGROUND

• Lai, D. W. L., Daoust G., Li, L. (2014). Understanding elder abuse and neglect in aging Chinese immigrants in Canada. The Journal of Adult Protection, 16(5):322-34. DOI:10.1108/JAP-03-2014-0006

  BACKGROUND

• Lawton MP, Brody EM. Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living. Gerontologist. 1969 Autumn;9(3):179-86. No abstract available.

  PMID: 5349366 BACKGROUND

• Lovibond PF, Lovibond SH. The structure of negative emotional states: comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behav Res Ther. 1995 Mar;33(3):335-43. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-u.

  PMID: 7726811 BACKGROUND

• Mendoza-Ruvalcaba NM, Arias-Merino ED. "I am active": effects of a program to promote active aging. Clin Interv Aging. 2015 May 5;10:829-37. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S79511. eCollection 2015.

  PMID: 26005337 BACKGROUND

• Na L, Yang L, Mezo PG, Liu R. Age disparities in mental health during the COVID19 pandemic: The roles of resilience and coping. Soc Sci Med. 2022 Jul;305:115031. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115031. Epub 2022 May 13.

  PMID: 35649300 BACKGROUND

• Perez-Rojo G, Lopez J, Noriega C, Velasco C, Carretero I, Lopez-Frutos P, Galarraga L. A multidimensional approach to the resilience in older adults despite COVID-19. BMC Geriatr. 2022 Oct 11;22(1):793. doi: 10.1186/s12877-022-03472-y.

  PMID: 36221056 BACKGROUND

• Qian M, Wu Q, Wu P, Hou Z, Liang Y, Cowling BJ, Yu H. Anxiety levels, precautionary behaviours and public perceptions during the early phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in China: a population-based cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open. 2020 Oct 8;10(10):e040910. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040910.

  PMID: 33033099 BACKGROUND

• Qiu J, Shen B, Zhao M, Wang Z, Xie B, Xu Y. A nationwide survey of psychological distress among Chinese people in the COVID-19 epidemic: implications and policy recommendations. Gen Psychiatr. 2020 Mar 6;33(2):e100213. doi: 10.1136/gpsych-2020-100213. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 32215365 BACKGROUND

• Roussey, K. (2018). Why these university students love living with seniors. CBC. Published September 6, 2018. Accessed May 8, 2020. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/student-senior-university-mcmaster-housing-co-generational-1.4811115

  BACKGROUND

• Rowe JW, Kahn RL. Human aging: usual and successful. Science. 1987 Jul 10;237(4811):143-9. doi: 10.1126/science.3299702.

  PMID: 3299702 BACKGROUND

• Singelis' T. M. (1994). The measurement of independent and interdependent self-construals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin' 20' 580-591.

  BACKGROUND

• Smith BW, Dalen J, Wiggins K, Tooley E, Christopher P, Bernard J. The brief resilience scale: assessing the ability to bounce back. Int J Behav Med. 2008;15(3):194-200. doi: 10.1080/10705500802222972.

  PMID: 18696313 BACKGROUND

• Su C, Yang L, Dong L, Zhang W. The Psychological Well-Being of Older Chinese Immigrants in Canada amidst COVID-19: The Role of Loneliness, Social Support, and Acculturation. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 15;19(14):8612. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148612.

  PMID: 35886464 BACKGROUND

• United Nations (2013). Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Ageing 2013. New York, NY, USA: United Nations.

  BACKGROUND

• Wu B. Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19: a global challenge. Glob Health Res Policy. 2020 Jun 5;5:27. doi: 10.1186/s41256-020-00154-3. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 32514427 BACKGROUND

• Yang L. Practice-oriented retest learning as the basic form of cognitive plasticity of the aging brain. J Aging Res. 2011;2011:407074. doi: 10.4061/2011/407074. Epub 2011 Oct 31.

  PMID: 22132328 BACKGROUND

• Yang L. Maintained and Delayed Benefits of Executive Function Training and Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise Over a 3.5-Year Period in Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Jul 1;14:905886. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.905886. eCollection 2022.

  PMID: 35847677 BACKGROUND

• Yang L, Gallant SN, Wilkins LK, Dyson B. Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes of Self-Guided Executive Function Training and Low-Intensity Aerobic Exercise in Healthy Older Adults. Front Aging Neurosci. 2020 Nov 19;12:576744. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.576744. eCollection 2020.

  PMID: 33328958 BACKGROUND

• Yang L, Kandasamy K, Na L, Zhang W, Wang P. Perceived and Experienced Anti-Chinese Discrimination and Its Associated Psychological Impacts Among Chinese Canadians During the Wave 2 of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Psychol Health Med. 2024 Jan-Jun;29(1):108-125. doi: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2142947. Epub 2022 Nov 6.

  PMID: 36336783 BACKGROUND

• Yang L, Yu L, Kandasamy K, Wang Y, Shi F, Zhang W, Wang PP. Non-Pathological Psychological Distress among Mainland Chinese in Canada and Its Sociodemographic Risk Factors amidst the Pandemic. Healthcare (Basel). 2022 Nov 21;10(11):2326. doi: 10.3390/healthcare10112326.

  PMID: 36421650 BACKGROUND

• Yin J, Lassale C, Steptoe A, Cadar D. Exploring the bidirectional associations between loneliness and cognitive functioning over 10 years: the English longitudinal study of ageing. Int J Epidemiol. 2019 Dec 1;48(6):1937-1948. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyz085.

  PMID: 31056641 BACKGROUND

• Zhang W. Perceptions of elder abuse and neglect by older Chinese immigrants in Canada. J Elder Abuse Negl. 2019 Aug-Dec;31(4-5):340-362. doi: 10.1080/08946566.2019.1652718. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

  PMID: 31394984 BACKGROUND

• Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2

  BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Choose to Move at Home video modules
• 23 resilience building activities \& exercises for adults. Resilience \& Coping, Positive Psychology

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Stress, Psychological

Interventions

Cognitive Training; Exercise; Drug Interactions

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavioral Symptoms; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurological Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Pharmacological Phenomena; Pharmacological and Toxicological Phenomena; Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Lixia Yang, PhD

  Toronto Metropolitan University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Lixia Yang, PhD

CONTACT

416-979-5000; lixiay@torontomu.ca

Cassandra Skrotzki, MA

CONTACT

416-979-5000; cskrotzki@torontomu.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 1, 2024
• First Posted: February 21, 2024
• Study Start: April 8, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 30, 2024
• Study Completion: December 31, 2024
• Last Updated: May 1, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)