Activity Counselling for Frailty

(Moving_More Trial)

Overseen By Stephenie Therrien, BA

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of British Columbia

Disqualifiers: Psychiatric conditions, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 8-13 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

The trial aims to assist older adults experiencing frailty, characterized by weakness and reduced ability to perform daily activities, by enhancing their activity levels. It tests a new approach to activity counseling, called 24-hour Activity Counselling, which balances exercise, rest, and sleep throughout the day, following the latest Canadian guidelines. Participants will receive either this new counseling method or the current standard practice to determine which is more effective. The trial seeks older adults living in the community who have one or more long-term health issues and can walk a short distance, even with assistance. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to innovative research that could improve daily living for older adults.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to discuss this with the trial coordinators or your doctor.

What prior data suggests that this counselling approach is safe for older adults?

Research shows that the 24-hour Activity Counselling method is safe for frail older adults. Studies have found that following 24-hour movement guidelines can improve frailty and overall health. For instance, one study found a link between these guidelines and better frailty outcomes. Another study showed that an exercise program for older adults was safe and well-liked by participants.

Importantly, no evidence suggests harm from this type of counselling. Instead, it appears to enhance physical and mental functions. This should reassure participants about the safety of the 24-hour Activity Counselling approach. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Activity Counselling for Frailty trial because it explores a fresh approach to managing frailty in older adults. Unlike the standard practice, which focuses solely on achieving a set amount of exercise per week, this new method emphasizes a balance of moderate-to-vigorous activity, rest, and sleep throughout an entire day. This holistic approach could potentially improve overall health and well-being by integrating physical activity into daily life more naturally and sustainably.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for frailty?

Studies have shown that exercise programs with multiple components can greatly improve both physical and mental abilities in older adults and help reduce frailty. Research suggests that following 24-hour movement guidelines, which balance activity, rest, and sleep, is associated with less frailty. Participants in these studies who engaged in physical activity programs reported more moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week than those who did not. This trial will test the new 24-hour Activity Counselling approach, using these guidelines to manage frailty by promoting an active lifestyle throughout the day. Another group in the trial will receive Current Physical Activity Counselling, focusing on achieving 150 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. ^{2 6 7 8 9}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Linda Li, PhD

Principal Investigator

University of British Columbia

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for older adults who are physically frail and at an early stage of frailty, with chronic conditions that limit daily activities. Participants should be able to follow the counselling program and provide feedback.

Inclusion Criteria

I am a physiotherapist in Greater Vancouver, mostly work with older adults, and am open to online training and random group assignment.

Exclusion Criteria

Those who do not meet the Inclusion Criteria

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive either the 24-hour Activity Counselling or the Current Physical Activity Counselling

8-13 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

12 months

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• 24-hour Activity Counselling

Trial Overview The study tests a new counselling approach based on Canadian 24-hour Movement Guidelines against the current physiotherapy practices. It aims to see if this new method helps manage chronic conditions and prevent further frailty.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: 24-hour Activity Counselling Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participating physiotherapists will be trained to deliver counselling that focuses on increasing moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, with a balance of activity, rest and sleep in a 24-hour day. Patients (n=4) of these physiotherapists will receive the 24-hour Activitiy Counselling

Group II: Current Physical Activity Counselling Active Control 1 Intervention

Participating physiotherapists will continue delivering counselling that focuses on achieving 150 minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, which is the current practice. Patients (n=4) of these physiotherapists will receive the Current Physical Activitiy Counselling

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of British Columbia

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,506

Recruited

2,528,000+

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Collaborator

Trials

1,417

Recruited

26,550,000+

Arthritis Research Centre of Canada

Collaborator

Trials

16

Recruited

12,200+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Researchers at the University of Manchester are developing a behavior change intervention aimed at pre-frail older adults to encourage participation in group-based physical activity classes, which have been shown to effectively slow the progression of frailty.

There is strong support from stakeholders for proactively addressing pre-frailty, as a significant number of older adults are affected, suggesting that such interventions could enhance healthy aging and improve overall health outcomes in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Acceptability of physical activity signposting for pre-frail older adults: a qualitative study to inform intervention development. Money, A., Harris, D., Hawley-Hague, H., et al.[2023]

The MoveStrong program, an 8-week exercise and nutrition intervention delivered via telephone and virtual sessions, was feasible and well-accepted by older adults, with a high retention rate of 93% and adherence to sessions exceeding 80%.

Participants showed significant improvements in physical function, as evidenced by increased chair stand test scores and enhanced dietary protein intake, indicating the program's effectiveness in addressing frailty in older adults.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

MoveStrong at home: a feasibility study of a model for remote delivery of functional strength and balance training combined with nutrition education for older pre-frail and frail adults. Wang, E., Keller, H., Mourtzakis, M., et al.[2022]

In a study involving 300 older adults (average age 82.5 years) with signs of frailty, it was found that greater severity of frailty is linked to lower functional independence and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

The participants were randomized into a 12-month home-based exercise program or usual care, highlighting the potential for supervised physical activity to improve outcomes for frail individuals, although the results of the intervention are not detailed in this abstract.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Older persons with signs of frailty in a home-based physical exercise intervention: baseline characteristics of an RCT. Suikkanen, S., Soukkio, P., Pitkälä, K., et al.[2022]

Training interventions are the most effective way to improve health outcomes in frail older adults, according to several systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Group exercise programs are more beneficial than home-based exercise for frail individuals, highlighting the need for expanded access to group training opportunities for this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

[Diagnosis of frailty as starting point for training interventions]. Benzinger, P., Rapp, K., Bauer, J.[2022]

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11547147/

The Effect of Exercise Program Interventions on Frailty ... The results demonstrated that multicomponent exercise programs significantly improved frailty status, enhanced physical and cognitive function, and improved ...

2. karger.com karger.com/ger/article/71/3/165/919274/Association-of-Timing-of-Physical-Activity-with

Association of Timing of Physical Activity with ... Results: The number of conversions to frailty was 121 (9.2%). A significant association were observed between evening steps and frailty ...

3. ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-025-01722-x

Is meeting 24-hour movement guidelines associated with a ... We aimed to investigate the associations between meeting 24-h movement guidelines and frailty and to conduct secondary analyses by age, gender, and ethnicity.

4. bmj.com bmj.com/content/376/bmj-2021-068465

Effectiveness of physical activity interventions delivered or ... Trials that used self-report measures showed that intervention participants reported achieving 24 min/week more MVPA than controls (95% ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12301383/

Mind–body training outperforms other physical activities in ... In our analysis, Mind–body training significantly improved frailty (SMD = −0.71, 95% CI: −1.22 ~ −0.21) and QoL (SMD = 1.02, 95% CI: −0.43 ~ ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11846395/

Is meeting 24-hour movement guidelines associated with a ... Significant associations between the 24-h movement guidelines and frailty were observed among US adults. Future studies are warranted to examine the causality ...

7. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40217427/

cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of NHANES data The association of adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines with frailty and mortality: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of NHANES data.

8. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2260134125000854

Frail2Fit study: it was feasible and acceptable for ... Results. The intervention was safe and acceptable to volunteers, and older adults with frailty. Five volunteers (mean age 16 years, 3 female) completed training ...

9. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2077-0383/13/21/6570

The Effect of Exercise Program Interventions on Frailty ... The results demonstrated that multicomponent exercise programs significantly improved frailty status, enhanced physical and cognitive function, and improved ...