Technology-assisted Vocal Exercise for Older Adults

January 6, 2017 updated by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Many detrimental effects of aging have been identified in the human voice, most of which are accepted as "normal". However, age-related vocal deficits disrupt communication and decrease quality of life in older adults and may be preventable and/or treatable through behavioral interventions. The objective of this proposal is to determine the effectiveness of a technology-assisted vocal exercise intervention on the vocal function and quality of life in older adults. Forty older adults (65+) will be recruited and randomly assigned to either an app or PDF-delivered vocal training intervention lasting 8 weeks. Pre- and post-testing involving vocal functioning assessments, as well as mobility, psychosocial, and cognitive functioning assessments will be conducted. This interdisciplinary project will enhance the investigators understanding of physical, mental, and social health-related quality of life among older adults.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

All participants will receive an iPad pre-loaded with an instructional PDF containing written instructions and embedded recorded audio prompts to assist with the delivery of an established vocal training paradigm, the Vocal Function Exercises (VFE) developed by Stemple.22 The VFE involves a set of four exercises focusing on extending maximum phonation time, increasing pitch range, and, therefore, improving coordination of the respiratory, phonatory, and resonatory systems during voicing. The iPads will be collected from the participants at the conclusion of the study at the post-intervention testing sessions.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either an experimental feedback group or active control no feedback group. Participants in the feedback group will receive iPads pre-loaded with Sonneta Voice Monitor app (MintLeaf Software) which will provide tailored feedback regarding pitch, loudness, and duration of phonation during practice sessions. The no feedback group will be provided with an iPad pre-installed with the PDF for the full duration of the study, but no feedback app.

Prior to and separate from the individual baseline testing appointments (described below), one group-based introductory session will be held to orient all participants to iPad controls (i.e., navigation, volume, recordings), as well as training specific to their assigned condition (how to use the pdf or app). Participants will complete a progressive weekly training schedule (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 7, 7, & 7 days per week) 2x per day for 30-minute sessions over 8 weeks. The first training session will be monitored to provide technical assistance and ensure fidelity of the training protocol. Undergraduate research assistants from Dr. Johnson's lab will contact each participant via telephone on a weekly basis to provide technical assistance and confirm adherence to the training schedule.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
26

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Champaign, Illinois, United States, 61820
        • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 65 years or older
  • Vision at least 20/40 with glass or contacts

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Moderate-severe cognitive impairment
  • Currently engaged in regular daily singing practice
  • Currently involved in a research study involving exercise, memory, or vocal strengthening
  • Currently being treated for a voice disorder by either an ENT or SLP

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Feedback
Behavioral: Vocal exercise with real-time feedback.
Behavioral: Vocal exercise with real-time feedback
The feedback intervention will use iPads pre-installed with a PDF of vocal exercises for the full duration of the study and with an app which will provide tailored feedback regarding pitch, loudness, and duration of phonation during practice sessions.
Active Comparator: Recording
Behavioral: Vocal exercise with recording
Behavioral: Vocal exercise with recording
The recording intervention will use an iPad pre-installed with the PDF of vocal exercises for the full duration of the study, but no feedback app.Participants audio record self while performing vocal exercises

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vocal acoustic function
Time Frame: 8-week change from baseline
Dysphonia Severity Index: composite measure of maximum phonation time (s), highest fundamental frequency (Hz), lowest intensity (dB) and jitter (%).
8-week change from baseline
Vocal aerodynamic function
Time Frame: 8-week change from baseline
Phonation threshold pressure (kPa)
8-week change from baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Program engagement and app usability
Time Frame: 8-week training period
Assessed via self-report (and verified via objective data) weekly during intervention and computed as an un-weighted composite score reflecting 8-week program adherence and ease of use.
8-week training period
Training-induced Change in Voice-related Quality of Life
Time Frame: 8-week change from baseline
The London Chest Activity of Daily Living Scale will be used to assess theoretical and mechanistic components of the vocal exercise intervention. Un-weight composite scores will be calculated at each assessment.
8-week change from baseline
Acceptability/feasibility of intervention
Time Frame: Post-intervention (8-week follow-up)
Self-reported level of agreement (1 strongly disagree, 7 strongly agree) with three separate statements ("I enjoyed the program I used to exercise my voice," "I will continue to use the training techniques in the future," and "I believe my voice improved as a result of my participation in this program")
Post-intervention (8-week follow-up)
Respiratory Function
Time Frame: 8-week change from baseline
FEV1 - forced expiratory volume in 1 second (Liters)
8-week change from baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Aaron M Johnson, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 6, 2017

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 10, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 10, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 6, 2017

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IRB15130

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Primary data will be made available via https://databank.illinois.edu/ within 6 months of trial completion. Secondary data will be available within 2 years of trial completion.

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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