A Personalized Behavioral Intervention to Improve Physical Activity, Sleep and Cognition in Sedentary Older Adults
Condition: Sleep
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 1/Phase 2

Summary: 
      Cognitive decline and sleep complaints are prevalent in older adults and severely affect
      older adults' physical health and quality of life. Sedentary lifestyle, which is reported by
      90% of older Americans, is an important risk factor for both cognitive decline and sleep
      disturbances. Although promoting physical activity has benefits to older adults' health,
      including sleep and cognition, traditional interventions to increase activity are challenging
      due to extensive staffing requirements and low adherence. Electronic activity monitors, such
      as wrist-worn accelerometers, can track heart rate, activity, and sleep to allow individuals
      to work towards personal activity and sleep goals. These appealing features make these
      devices ideal for interventions that aim to change behaviors and improve health outcomes.
      However, the efficacy of using electronic activity monitors to promote physical activity and
      health in older adults has not been examined.

      The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial in a cohort of older adults
      (without dementia) with both sedentary lifestyle and nocturnal sleep complaints to examine
      the effectiveness of a personalized behavioral intervention (compared to a control group)
      embedded within a smart watch application in older adults. 94 cognitively intact elders and
      21 older adults with mild cognitive impairment will be enrolled and randomly allocated to the
      intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention arm will receive in person
      exercise training sessions, and personalized, self-monitor physical activity, receive
      interactive prompts, biweekly phone consultation with the research team, and financial
      incentives for achieving weekly physical activity goals. The control group will receive
      general education on physical activity in older adults and continue the routine daily
      activity during the intervention period. The intervention for older adults without cognitive
      impairment is 24 weeks and for older adults with mild cognitive impairment is 16 weeks.
    


Intervention name(s): ELDERFITNESS; Control
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): In-person training with the exercise trainer ( 3 sessions for participants without cognitive impairments over 24 weeks & 4 sessions for older adults with mild cognitive impairment over 16 weeks). Self-monitoring level of physical activity (steps & minutes of moderate activity) using the smart watch. . The Google calendar and Fitbit apps will send messages and alerts to the subject's smart watch that encourage subjects to achieve subjects' daily goals. If a participant has low activity for 3 consecutive days, the research assistant will call the participant to either encourage the participant to adhere to the plan or provide a modified plan after consulting the exercise trainer. Phone consultation: Subjects will have biweekly phone consultation with the research team members to receive guidance and adjustment on activity plans.Financial incentives: when the daily activity goal is achieved for more than four days per week, a $5 reward will be given to subjects.; General Education on physical activity for older adults and continue daily activity and healthcare routine. Participants will also receive a Go4Life Program book from the National Institute on Aging
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: older adults; exercise intervention; cognition