Clinical trial NCT03714100: Use of Tele-Exercise for Translating an Evidence-Based Fall-Prevention Program for Older Adults in West Virginia
Official title: Use of Tele-Exercise as an Alternative Delivery Channel for Translating an Evidence-Based Fall-Prevention Program Into Practice for Older Adults in West Virginia
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Accidental Falls
Lead sponsor: West Virginia University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2018-10-22
Enrollment: 52
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 55
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: West Virginia (WV) has a critical need for resources to reach more of its older adults with fall-prevention programming. The Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance® (TJQMBB) program is an evidence-based, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-approved, community-delivered, physical activity fall-prevention intervention for older adults. The program is efficacious and effective in reducing falls in older adults, and has been translated into clinical and community settings. Programs delivered in one setting; however, may not automatically translate to others.

Using telehealth technology to deliver exercise classes (i.e. tele-exercise) is one alternative to the traditional, face-to-face, group exercise classes where the instructor and participants are in the same room. We propose delivering tele-TJQMBB to older adults using a computer, television, and the internet. This delivery mode will allow us to recruit instructors from any location (e.g., urban areas), and with possibly more experience, yet still reach older adults in communities without instructors.

Detailed description: West Virginia (WV) has a critical need for resources to reach more of its older adults with fall-prevention programming. The Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance® (TJQMBB) program is an evidence-based, CDC-approved, community-delivered, physical activity fall-prevention intervention for older adults. The program is efficacious and effective in reducing falls in older adults, and has been translated into clinical and community settings. Programs delivered in one setting; however, may not automatically translate to others. We recently completed a CDC-funded study which successfully translated a 16-week TJQMBB intervention into 20 faith-based organizations in 7 rural WV counties. In the maintenance phase of the study (i.e., post intervention), only 38% of classes continued despite the fact that 87% of participants expressed a desire to continue. The rate limiting factor for continuing classes in these rural areas was lack of instructors. Thus, there is a vital need to further translate TJQMBB into practice using alternative delivery channels to increase the reach and maintenance of the program, especially in rural areas where instructors are less available.

Using telehealth technology to deliver exercise classes (i.e. tele-exercise) is one alternative to the traditional, face-to-face, group exercise classes where the instructor and participants are in the same room. We propose delivering tele-TJQMBB to older adults using a computer, television, and the internet. This delivery mode will allow us to recruit instructors from any location (e.g., urban areas), and with possibly more experience, yet still reach older adults in communities without instructors.

The purpose of this translational study is to work with our injury control, technology, and wellness partners to: 1) implement a 16-week intervention of the tele-TJQMBB classes in 120 older adults at 12 community sites in 4 WV counties; 2) describe functional, self-reported, and fall/injury outcomes; and 3) evaluate the translation of tele-TJQMBB with respect to its Reach into the target population (number of participants), Effectiveness (participant outcomes), Adoption (number of sites, instructors, classes), Implementation (fidelity ratings), and Maintenance (satisfaction, continued participation) using the Re-aim Framework. Demonstrating that tele-TJQMBB is effective would provide an additional delivery channel for the program, help overcome the barrier of identifying instructors in rural areas, and in the future, allow for the number of classes to be expanded to reach more older adults, provide more community-based programs in which to refer older adults to, and enhance overall maintenance of the program. To our knowledge, this is the first study to translate an evidence-based, group, fall-prevention exercise program using an alternative delivery method in a priority population, and thus, may serve as a model for reaching other underserved older adults.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults age 55 and older
* Community-dwelling
* Able to attend 2, 1-hour Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance classes a week for 16 weeks
* Able to attend 2 testing sessions for data collection (Testing sessions will be scheduled the week before classes begin and the week after the classes end)
* Able to walk at least 2 city blocks with or without an assistive device

Exclusion Criteria:

* Lack reliable transportation
* Unable to speak English

Primary outcomes:
measure: Four Square Test
timeFrame: At 16 weeks after start of intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Gait Speed: 5-meter walk test
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Mobility: Timed up-and-go test
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Lower extremity strength: 5-chair stands test
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Physical Activity: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Health-related quality of life: Short Form-12 (SF-12)
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Fear of falling: Falls Efficacy Scale
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Fall frequency (falls, fallers, and frequent fallers)
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Fall rates (falls/person-months)
timeFrame: Collected at baseline, at the end of the intervention (16 weeks), and 32 weeks after the start of the study
measure: Injury frequency
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Injury severity
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Medical care received
timeFrame: Collected at end of the intervention (16 weeks)
measure: Process outcomes
timeFrame: Collected at end of intervention (16 weeks)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Morgantown
country: United States
facility: West Virginia University
state: West Virginia
Study officials:
affiliation: West Virginia University
name: Dina L Jones, PT, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: