Development and Evaluation of the Healthy Beat Accupunch (HBA) Exercise Program for the Community Older Adults

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goals of this research project were: 1) to develop a senior-tailored Healthy Beat Accupunch (HBA) exercise program for community-dwelling older adults, 2) to test the effects of a six-month, instructor-led HBA exercise program, and 3) to evaluate the feasibility, compliance, and long-term effects of a six-month, DVD-guide HBA exercise program.

Detailed Description
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A three-year, longitudinal, triangulation research method was applied. First Year (Phase I): A preliminary HBA exercise program, including hard copy descriptions and DVD demonstrations of each exercise, was mailed to the 16 experts in the Delphi advisory panel for their critique and evaluation. First Year (Phase II): A quasi-experimental, one-group, pretest-posttest design was used to pilot-test the feasibility of the HBA exercise program on a group of 31 community-dwelling older adults in a community care station. Second Year: A cluster randomized controlled trial was used to test the effects of a six-month, instructor-led HBA exercise program on the functional fitness (cardiovascular-respiratory function, body flexibility, muscle strength, and muscle endurance) of the community-dwelling older adults. Through the use of convenience sampling strategy, eight community care stations with 232 older adults in Kaohsiung were recruited and randomly assigned based on their community care stations to a HBA experimental group or a wait-list control group. Participants in the experimental group received the HBA exercise program led by trained and certified instructors, three times per week, 40 minutes per practice for six months; participants in the wait-list control group continued with their regular daily activities. One pre-test and two post-tests, three months apart, were conducted. Third Year: Using the same method as in the second year, participants from the second year continued practicing the HBA exercise program, but guided by a DVD, for another six months. The feasibility, compliance, and effectiveness of the DVD-led HBA exercise program on the community-dwelling older adults were tested, and another two post-tests, three months apart, were conducted on the same outcome measurements as in the second year.

Official Title
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Development and Evaluation of an Evidence-based Intervention Guideline of the Healthy Beat Accupunch (HBA) Exercise Program for the Community Older Adults

Conditions
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Functional Fitness

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Healthy Beat Accupunch exercise program
* Other: control


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and over Mandarin or Taiwanese speakers able to stand and walk without assistive devices cognitive alert and able to verbally state their name, address, and answer questions. Exclusion Criteria: participants with severe and acute cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, or pulmonary illnesses.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 65 Years
Maximum Age: 100 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Healthy Beat Accupunch<br>The HBA exercise program includes: 1) warm-up: 5 slow and gentle exercises to regulate qi, loosen up the body, and elevate the energy for a safe transition to the next phase, 2) accupunch: 14 low-to-medium speed exercises to punch the 14 meridians to enhance the cardiovascular-respiratory workout, and 3) relaxation: 5 low-speed, muscle relaxing exercises with deep breaths to sooth the body and mind. It is conducted 3 times per week and 40 minutes per practice. | Other: Healthy Beat Accupunch exercise program<br>* HBA has three phases and takes 40 minutes to complete.<br>|
| Active Comparator: control<br>The control group maintains daily activities. | Other: control<br>* participants maintain their daily activities.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital Sphygmomanometer | Blood Pressure | 12 months | 
| TruZoneTM Peak Flow Meter | Lung Capacity | 12 months | 
| Two-minute Step Test | Aerobic Endurance | 12 months | 
| Back Scratch Test | Upper Body Flexibility | 12 months | 
| Chair Sit-and-Reach Test | Lower Body Flexibility | 12 months | 
| Digital Handgrip Dynamometer | Hand-Grip Strength | 12 months | 
| Arm Curl Test | Upper Limbs Muscle Endurance | 12 months | 
| Chair Sit-to-Stand Test | Lower Limbs Muscle Endurance | 12 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Barthel Index | ADL | 12 months | 
| chronic pain | pain scale | 12 months |