Digital Training Program for Healthy Aging

(AAT Trial)

Overseen By Cassandra Skrotzki, MA

Age: 65+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Toronto Metropolitan University

Disqualifiers: Cognitive impairment, Physical unfitness, Mental health, others

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 10

240 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to test a digital program designed to help older adults remain active and resilient in physical, mental, and social aspects. Researchers will divide participants into three groups to try different online training sessions. One group will receive a resilience-building module with their activities, another will engage in activities without the resilience module, and the last group will attend workshops on aging topics. Suitable participants include healthy Chinese immigrants or White Canadian adults aged 65 or over who have access to a computer and the internet for Zoom sessions. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to innovative research that could enhance the quality of life for older adults.

Do I need to stop my current medications for this trial?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems to focus on digital training and does not mention medication changes.

What prior data suggests that this digital training program is safe for older adults?

Research has shown that digital programs designed for active aging are generally safe for older adults. Studies on similar digital health tools have found them easy to use and well-received. These programs often include activities that keep users physically, mentally, and socially active, helping them stay engaged without harm.

No serious side effects have been reported with these types of programs. Instead, participants often experience better well-being and greater independence. A review of digital tools for healthy aging found no major safety issues, suggesting that the Digital Active Aging Training Program, like others in this area, is safe for older adults.

Overall, evidence supports that joining such digital programs is low-risk and a good option for promoting healthy aging. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the Digital Active Aging Training Program because it offers a fresh approach to promoting healthy aging through digital means. Unlike traditional methods that focus on physical activities alone, this program combines physical, cognitive, and social engagement, with a unique emphasis on building resilience. The "active aging with resilience" module is particularly promising, as it introduces a resilience-building component that isn't typically found in standard aging programs. This holistic approach aims to enhance overall well-being, potentially offering more comprehensive benefits than existing aging programs.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for promoting healthy aging?

This trial will compare different digital training programs for healthy aging. Research has shown that digital programs designed to help older adults stay active and build resilience can greatly improve their physical, mental, and social skills. Participants in the "active aging with resilience (AR)" arm will complete physical, cognitive, and social engagement training modules, starting with a resilience-building module. Studies have found that including exercises to build resilience in these programs leads to better overall health and adaptability. In one study, older adults in these programs reported higher scores in active aging and improved social skills. Additionally, an online resilience program successfully increased physical activity and well-being among older people. These findings suggest that adding resilience training to active aging programs can offer significant benefits for healthy aging. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Lixia Yang, PhD

Principal Investigator

Toronto Metropolitan University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for older adults aged 60 and above, including Chinese immigrants in Canada and English-speaking White Canadian seniors. It's designed to help with healthy aging, stress relief, cognitive function improvement, reducing loneliness, and enhancing social interactions.

Inclusion Criteria

Study 1(Chinese group): Can speak, read and write Mandarin

Study 2(Canadian group): White Canadian citizen

I am 60 or older and in good health.

Exclusion Criteria

Unfit for light physical exercises

Without access to a computer and internet

My memory and thinking skills test score is 6 or higher.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Pretest

A battery of outcome measures on physical, psychological, and social functions will be administered to assess baseline performance

1 week

1 visit (virtual)

Intervention

Participants are randomly assigned to one of three arms to receive 4 weeks of training/control treatment sessions delivered via Zoom

4 weeks

8 sessions (virtual), 8 sessions (self-practice)

Posttest

Participants complete the same battery of outcome measures as administered at the pretest session to evaluate the efficacy of the training programs

1 week

1 visit (virtual)

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for safety and effectiveness after treatment

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Digital Active Aging Training Program

Trial Overview The study tests a digital active aging program with resilience training versus traditional active aging training or workshop series on topics related to aging. Participants will undergo pretest-training-posttest sessions over Zoom for four weeks.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Active aging with resilience (AR) Experimental Treatment 4 Interventions

In the "active aging with resilience (AR)" condition, participants will complete physical, cognitive, and social engagement training modules, starting with a 15-min resilience-building module.

Group II: Active aging without resilience (AA) Active Control 3 Interventions

The traditional "active aging" (AA) training involves the same multi-domain active aging training without the initial resilience-building module, which will be replaced by watching 15 minutes of educational video on topics such as health, nature or travel.

Group III: Workshop training (WT) Placebo Group 1 Intervention

The "workshop training" (WT) control condition involves workshops following the same 4-week schedule on aging-related topics.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Toronto Metropolitan University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

95

Recruited

19,300+

Cogniciti

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

240+

Cognifit

Collaborator

Trials

3

Recruited

640+

AGE-WELL and the Canadian Frailty Network

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

240+

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Collaborator

Trials

28

Recruited

6,100+

Aging in Cloud

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

240+

Citations

1. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06270862

A Digital Active Aging Training Program for Older Adults The proposed project aims to develop and validate a multi-dimensional digital active aging program integrated with resilience to promote the biopsychosocial ...

2. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12489239/

Promoting digital resilience and healthy aging: Older adults ... To investigate how Intelligent exercise influence older adults' digital resilience and adaptation, by integrating quantitative outcome measures ...

3. journals.sagepub.com journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/20552076251384225

Promoting digital resilience and healthy aging: Older adults ... To investigate how Intelligent exercise influence older adults' digital resilience and adaptation, by integrating quantitative outcome measures ...

4. bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-025-06333-6

Fostering active aging in older adults - BMC Geriatrics Training in communication and social skills led to a significant increase in the total score of active aging (98.18 ± 17.77) and its dimensions ...

5. jmir.org jmir.org/2024/1/e53450/

A Web-Based Resilience-Enhancing Program to Improve ... This study aims to develop and evaluate a web-based program to enhance resilience, physical activity, and well-being among community-dwelling older adults.

6. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666142X25000128

Healthy aging in frail older adults: Active aging project of a ... The concept of healthy aging emphasizes maintaining independence, functionality, and a high quality of life despite frailty and other age-related challenges.

7. bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-023-04617-3

Digital interventions for healthy ageing and cognitive health in ... This study aimed to conduct a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of digital intervention studies for facilitating healthy ageing and cognitive ...

8. mdpi.com mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/23/16503

Digital Health Interventions for Promoting Healthy Aging This systematic review evaluates the intersection of digital health interventions and healthy aging, focusing on adoption, efficacy, and user experience.