Pole Walking Intervention in Retirement Communities

Brief Summary: This patient-oriented study aims to co-design and pilot a pole walking intervention with residents and staff of the participating independent living/retirement communities. The proposed pilot will answer the following principal question: Is pole walking intervention feasible in the independent living/retirement communities? We will also assess if pole walking intervention will be associated with improved physical activity, function, mobility and quality of life. The final format of the intervention will be designed with resident- and staff-advisors. We anticipate that the pole walking sessions will be held outdoors, 2-3 times a week, for 20-60 min/session, over 12 weeks.

Detailed Description: Pole walking provides an attractive form of exercise therapy for older adults. It is a simple, well-tolerated and effective means to improve overall functional fitness in older adults. Pole walking has improved upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility in community dwelling older adults. It has been positively associated with balance, functional mobility, muscle strength, and aerobic exercise capacity in older adults. Pole walking is considered to offer a safe format for walking as poles provide support and help with balance and thus, contribute to confidence in being active. However, there has not yet been a study assessing the feasibility of pole walking intervention in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities.

This study is a patient-oriented pilot intervention. Our target is to include 50 independent living/retirement community's residents. Pole walking exercises are based on ongoing, patient-oriented Nordic Walking intervention, tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Training sessions will be led by trained peer/staff/student-instructors. Training sessions will be held outdoors, 2-3 times a week, for 20-60 min/session, over 12 weeks.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

Being an ambulatory resident in the independent living/retirement
Pass the Get Active Questionnaire. If the participant has heart conditions, angina during daily living, balance, and bone or joint problems, then a Physician Clearance Form is required to be filled out and signed by the participant's family physician.

Exclusion Criteria

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Pole Walking	Pole Walking	Attending pole walking sessions.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Feasibility of pole walking intervention	5-10 minutes	We will assess feasibility by calculating participant consent rate and retention.
Protocol fidelity	3-5 minutes	We assess protocol fidelity (attached survey) by participants, peer/student-trainees, and staff after the Pole walking intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Muscle strength	3-5 minutes	Assessed by sit-to-stand test and grip strength.
Fear of falling	2-5 minutes	Assessed by the 10-item falls efficacy scale. Scale consists of 10 questions with responses ranging from 1 (not confident at all) to 10 (very confident). Higher values are better outcomes. Sub-scale values are summed and total value is recorded.
Physical activity	7 days	We will record physical activity using activity monitors (accelerometers).
Exercise confidence	3-5 minutes	Assessed by Exercise self-efficacy scale.
Total body lean and fat tissue mass, bone density at total body, hip and lumbar spine.	10-20 minutes	Assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)
Gait and functional balance	3-5 minutes	Assessed gait and functional balance by timed up and go test.
Walking test	5-10 minutes	Assessed by 6-minute walking test with and without poles.
Imaged bone and muscle properties	20-30 minutes	Assessed by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT).
Health-related quality of life	3-5 minutes	Assessed by the The Short Form (SF36) Health Survey.
Nutrition	20 minutes	We will assess dietary intakes using food frequency questionnaire.

Locations (1): Saija Kontulainen, University of Saskatchewan
🇨🇦
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada