Physical activity interventions with older adults can improve brain health; however most interventions have been performed in gym-like settings that reach a small sector of the senior population. Since not everyone can access a gym, it is important to study whether brisk walking in real world environments can also help brain health. This study will use mobile health devices to help older adults independently walk for brain health, thus representing a critical step towards the dissemination of physical activity intervention programs aimed at preserving cognitive function in aging.
Physical activity interventions conducted in supervised settings (laboratories and group settings) with older adults have consistently shown improved cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health and improved cognitive function. What is lacking is the development of interventions that take place in real world environments and that take advantage of new technologies to help objectively track real time physical activity behaviors. Real world physical activity interventions have the potential to reach a larger segment of the population and to enhance maintenance after the intervention period ends. This study will develop a novel physical activity intervention using mobile health technologies to promote physical activity levels likely to affect cerebral blood flow and cognition in real world environments in cognitively normal older adults. A randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 30 participants being assigned to the mobile health physical activity condition (walking in free-living environments tracked via mobile health technologies) and another 30 to an education control condition (at home reading about healthy aging materials) for 3 months.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
53
Physically inactive older adults in this condition will perform 3 months of prescribed brisk walking (to increase cardio respiratory fitness) in their real world environments, using mobile health (mHealth) devices during each exercise session to achieve and maintain a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week.
The education control condition will provide participants with printed materials and homework assignments on issues related to successful aging, such as nutrition, social activity, cognitive and social engagement.
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, California, United States
Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) Average Per Day
Average minutes per day spent in moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity (MVPA) (defined as =\>1952 accelerometer counts per minute). MVPA minutes were determined based on one-week of accelerometer wear on the hip at baseline and post intervention.
Time frame: Pre (baseline) and post (3 months)
Cerebral Blood Flow (Hippocampal and Frontal)
Average cerebral blood flow measured with arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance imaging in ml/100g/min. Cerebral blood flow was obtained via arterial spin labeling MRI and Freesurfer software was utilized to delineate regions of interest for each participant (right and left regions were averaged). For the frontal lobe cerebral blood flow we averaged the mean of superior frontal, rostral and caudal middle frontal, pars opercularis, pars triangularis, pars orbitalis, lateral and medial orbitofrontal, precentral, paracentral, and frontal pole.
Time frame: Pre (baseline) and post (3 months)
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