Relationships Between Exercise and Emotion Regulation on Physical Activity in Frail Older Adults

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Sedentary Lifestyle; Older Adults; Mobility Limitation

• Registration Number: NCT03514160
• Lead Sponsor: Northeastern University

Brief Summary

Frailty in older adults is a consequence of physical inactivity, which leads to poor physical function, disability and poor health outcomes. Nearly 60% of older adults report inactivity. Emotion regulation strategies have affective, cognitive and social consequences. Positive emotions are significantly associated with a higher ability to perform activities of daily living. There is a gap in the understanding of how exercise influences the selection of emotion regulation strategies (avoidant vs. adaptive) in frail older adults. The investigators propose to examine the interactions between regular exercise, selection of emotional regulation strategies, and daily physical activity in frail sedentary older adults.

Detailed Description

1. Determine the choice of emotion regulation strategies used by frail sedentary older adults (60+ years; n=24). Frailty will be defined as a gait speed \<0.8 m/sec.

Hypothesis: Frail sedentary older adults will choose avoidant emotion regulation strategies.

2. Examine whether a peer-led, community-based, group-exercise program lasting 12-weeks improves the selection of emotion regulation strategies in frail sedentary older adults as compared to those receiving support services (12/group).

Hypothesis: Exercise will result in higher use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies than support services.

3. Examine if improved selection of emotional regulation strategies with exercise translates into increased daily physical activity and reduced sedentary behavior by frail older adults as compared to those receiving support services.

Hypothesis: Exercise will significantly increase daily physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior than support services.

4. Determine if improvements in emotional regulation strategy selection and daily physical activity levels positively influence health and well-being (i.e. health status, physical function, mood, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and sense of loneliness and isolation).

Hypothesis: Exercise-induced improvements in emotion regulation and increased daily physical activity will be associated with improved overall health and well-being as compared to support services.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2015-04
• Primary Completion: 2015-08
• Study Completion: 2016-01
• Status Verified: 2017-04
• Study First Submitted: 2017-04-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2018-04-30
• Last Update Submitted: 2018-04-30
• Study First Posted: 2018-05-02
• Last Update Posted: 2018-05-02

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 20

Inclusion Criteria

• Community-dwelling older adults 60+ years of age
• Men and women
• Frail older adults with impaired mobility (gait speed < 0.8 m/sec)
• Sedentary older adults

Exclusion Criteria

• Unable to give consent
• Unable to exercise
• Unable to travel to the community site
• Unstable chronic conditions

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Seven-day free living physical activity	12 weeks	Number of steps per day were objectively measured with an activity monitor worn for a seven-day period

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Northeastern University; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States