Attentional Focus Training on Visuomotor Control in Older Adults

NCT07085364 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: HSEARS20250107004
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 16
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study will be a pilot randomized controlled trial, to investigate the effectiveness of an external focus training on visuomotor performance while comparing with an active control group.

Conditions

Gait; Attention; Older Adults

Keywords

attentional focus; gait; visual search; older adults

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Gait stability - variability of stride time

  measured by a 3-D motion capture system; stride time is defined as the interval between two consecutive heel strikes of the same foot; the variability measure is represented by the coefficients of variation (CV) \[(standard deviation/mean) × 100\]

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Gait stability - variability of stride length

  measured by a 3-D motion capture system; stride length is defined as anterior-posterior (A-P) distance between two consecutive heel strike positions of the same foot; the variability measure is represented by the coefficients of variation (CV) \[(standard deviation/mean) × 100\]

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Gait stability - variability of step width

  measured by a 3-D motion capture system; step width is defined as medial-lateral (M-L) distance between two consecutive heel strike positions of the opposite feet; the variability measure is represented by the coefficients of variation (CV) \[(standard deviation/mean) × 100\]

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Visual search behaviours - location of fixation

  measured by a wireless eye tracker; recorded the location that the gaze is fixated on

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Visual search behaviours - the number of fixation

  measured by a wireless eye tracker; recorded the number of times the gaze is fixated on each area of interest

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Visual search behaviours - fixation duration

  measured by a wireless eye tracker; recorded the duration that the gaze is fixated on each area of interest

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Functional balance and gait

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Falls efficacy

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Conscious movement processing

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Functional balance

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

• Functional mobility

  baseline (pre-intervention), immediately after intervention (post-intervention)

Study Arms (2)

EXT

EXPERIMENTAL

External focus manipulation

Behavioral: Attentional focus

CON

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Traditional manipulation

Behavioral: Control

Interventions

Attentional focus BEHAVIORAL

Every training session will include the following activities for both groups: a 5-minute warm-up; a 30-minute walking training; and a 5-minute cool-down. The walking training will be conducted within a level-ground walking field. Participants will be instructed to look at and step on specific markers/labels that will be attached along the walking paths.

EXT

Control BEHAVIORAL

Every training session will include the following activities for both groups: a 5-minute warm-up; a 30-minute walking training; and a 5-minute cool-down. The walking training will be conducted within a level-ground walking field. No markers/labels will be attached and no relevant instructions will be provided apart from the general instruction.

CON

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• aged 65 or above
• able to walk independently indoor for at least 40 metres
• static visual acuity score 20/40 or above
• scoring 22/30 or above in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Hong Kong version
• without any history of untreated major neurological, vestibular or musculoskeletal deficits (e.g., stroke or Parkinson's disease)
• without any unstable medical condition that can compromise safety during the experiment
• scoring less than 24/28 in the Tinetti Balance Assessment Tool or scoring 50/56 or below in the Berg Balance Scale

You may not qualify if:

• none

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: lead

Study Design

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

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 5, 2025
• First Posted: July 25, 2025
• Study Start: August 1, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2026
• Last Updated: July 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share