Interactive Stepping Exercise on Executive Function and Gait Variability

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The present study is to examine the effects of interactive stepping exercise on executive function and gait variability in community-dwelling older adults

Detailed Description
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This is a single blinded, randomized controlled trial. 40 community-dwelling older adults will be recruited and randomly assigned to either experimental group (n=20) or control group (n=20). The 12-week intervention comprises of 1-hour exercise per day and 3 days per week. The experimental group will receive interactive stepping exercise while the control group will be put under home exercise program. Primary outcome measures are executive function and gait variability. Secondary outcome measures include community walking test and other gait parameters (gait velocity, stride length and stride time). The participants will receive assessment at pre- and post-intervention

Official Title
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Effects of Interactive Stepping Exercise on Executive Function and Gait Variability in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Conditions
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Health Service for the Aged

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Interactive Stepping Exercise
* Other: Home exercise program


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: community-dwelling older adults age ≥ 65 years old able to walk independently outdoor without an assistive device Mini-mental state examination ≥ 24 use an exercise pre-participation health screening form by the American College of Sports Medicine to recruit those participants that are suitable to join the training session Exclusion Criteria: diagnosed of any psychiatric and neurologic disorders such as schizophrenia, stroke, Parkinson, Alzheimer disease, etc. any comorbidity or disability that would preclude training

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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No

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: Interactive Stepping Exercise<br>Interactive Stepping Exercise (1 hour, 3 times/week, 12 weeks) The 1-hour training program will start with10 minutes warm-up session, after that 40 minutes of ISE, and ended with 10 minutes of cool down session. Interactive Stepping Exercise (ISE) will perform on a thin mat that was partitioned into 24 squares. The ISE program included forward, backward, lateral and oblique steps, and step patterns were progressively made more complicated. | Other: Interactive Stepping Exercise<br>* Interactive Stepping Exercise will perform on a thin mat, stepping pattern will display through a monitor screen, immediate auditory feedback will give for adjustment<br>|
| Active Comparator: Home exercise program<br>60 minutes, 3 times/week, 12 weeks of home exercise | Other: Home exercise program<br>* Home exercise program includes stretching exercise, general strengthening exercise on lower extremity muscles, posture control and balance exercise.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Trail Making Test | Executive Function | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Stroop Test | Executive Function | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Digit Span Test | Executive Function | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Executive Interview 25 questions | Executive Function | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Gait Variability | Stride length and Stride time variability | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gait velocity | Gait speed | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Stride length | The distance covered by the combined step length of each limb during gait | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Stride time | The time elapsed between the first contact of two consecutive footsteps of the same foot | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks | 
| Functional Ambulation in community | Walk for 400 m distance in community | Change from Baseline at 12 weeks |