Clinical trial NCT05411536: Attentional Focus Instructions and Conscious Movement Processing in Older Adults
Official title: The Effects of Attentional Focus Instructions on Real-time Conscious Movement Processing While Walking in a Challenging Environment for Older Adults at Risk of Falling in Hong Kong: Implications for Rehabilitation
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Conditions: Fall Injury
Walking, Difficulty
Gait, Unsteady
Keywords: Attentional focus instructions
Conscious movement processing
Walking
Muscle efficiency
Gait parameters
Lead sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-06-09
Enrollment: 106
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 65
Maximum age (years): 99
Standard ages: OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Older adults (N = 106) will be recruited from different collaborating community elderly and rehabilitation centres in Hong Kong through convenience sampling. Potential participants will be screened for eligibility by the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Brief summary: This study aims to provide a novel scientific contribution through addressing critical knowledge gaps, examining the effects of attentional focus instructions on real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity, gait parameters, and muscle efficiency in older adults in Hong Kong at risk of falling while walking in a challenging environment. The study results could update our scientific understanding of the mechanisms of conscious movement processing and the interventional effects of attentional focus instructions in older adults. It could ultimately enhance the methodology used for developing the most appropriate psychomotor gait re-education intervention in rehabilitation and provide clear guidelines on the exact attentional focus training that older adults require. Further, it could mitigate the effect of conscious movement processing and risk of falling in older adults.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* age 65 or above;
* able to walk independently indoor for at least 20 metres without a walking aid.

Exclusion Criteria:

* a total score of less than 24 on the MMSE-C (Chiu et al., 1994; Folstein et al., 1975);
* the presence of any untreated cerebral vascular disease, Parkinson's disease, or any other major neurological deficit;
* the presence of an unstable medical condition affecting safety while walking ;
* a history of a major fall incident within the last year;
* a static visual acuity poorer than 20/40 vision (assessed using the Tumbling E eye chart).

Primary outcomes:
measure: Real-time (state) conscious movement processing propensity
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Gait speed
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Body sway
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Stride length
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Stride-to-stride variability
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Muscle efficiency
timeFrame: Day 0
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Walking ability
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Balance ability
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Fear of falling
timeFrame: Day 0
measure: Trait conscious movement processing propensity
timeFrame: Day 0
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hong Kong
country: China
facility: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Study officials:
affiliation: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
name: Thomson Wong, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: