Digital STEADI Efficacy

September 25, 2026 updated by: Friendi.fi Corporation

Randomized Control Trial to Test the Efficacy of the Digital STEADI Program.

The aging of the U.S. population, combined with health care workforce shortages and insufficient access to effective fall prevention and exercise programs, has contributed to a high burden of fall-related injuries in older adults, especially in those with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a precursor of Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). There is an urgent need for scalable, evidence-based interventions that can be delivered efficiently in the home setting. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and impact of a comprehensive digital fall prevention program (Digital STEADI) delivered through a technology platform with two conversational agents that leverage generative artificial intelligence (gen-AI) with human oversight to increase program access, enhance adherence to clinical fall prevention protocols and best practices, and reduce fall risk among community-dwelling older adults.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) Initiative integrates fall risk screening, assessment, and intervention according to established clinical guidelines from the American and British Geriatrics Societies. Although STEADI is a proven multifactorial intervention, traditional dissemination models relying on in-person visits, paper-based materials, and intensive human monitoring and care coordination present significant barriers to widespread implementation for impact at the population level.

The sponsor in collaboration with clinical and academic partners, will test a digital STEADI intervention program incorporating an evidence-based exercise program (Otago, OEP) to provide strength and balance training and continuous coaching. The digital program is implemented via two conversational agents, a tablet-based avatar or mobile chat via SMS, supported by gen-AI and trained human staff who supervise the agents as needed. Both agents provide 24x7 companionship with protocolized health coaching and escalation to care providers as needed. The technology has been rigorously validated in cognitively normal (CN) as well as frail older adults with multiple chronic conditions including serious mental illness (SMI), MCI and ADRD. It is optimized for ongoing fall risk monitoring, personalized exercise prescription, and coordinated care. The full digital STEADI program was successfully tested for feasibility and safety in two pilot studies with older adults with and without MCI, one in a simulated home environment and another in private homes of community-dwelling older adults. Upon the successful completion of the randomized control trial (RCT), the Digital STEADI program will be prepared for national implementation and commercialization.

A randomized control trial (RCT, N= 300) will be conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the digital STEADI program including OEP compared to standard STEADI (STEADI-Standard) and attentional control (STEADI-Control) conditions. A subset of participants with MCI will be assigned to the STEADI-Avatar group to evaluate the digital program in this high-risk population. All participants will be community-dwelling older adults aged ≥50 years at risk for falls.

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 (Estimated)

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.
300

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.
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Georgia
      • Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30329
        • Recruiting
        • Emory University School of Medicine

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

50 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score between 26 and 30
  • Able to walk independently with or without an assistive device.
  • Able to rise independently from a standard desk or dining room chair without arms.
  • Live independently in a non-institutional or senior community setting.
  • Able to speak, hear and understand English
  • Have 20/40 vision from 10 ft with or without correction (e.g., glasses)
  • Willing to participate in the requirements of the research program.
  • Able to meet in a physical study location on Emory campus.
  • Screen positive for fall risk per the Stay Independent screener.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • acute medical illness requiring hospitalization.
  • hospitalized in the past 1 month.
  • diagnosed with dementia (ADRD) or a neurodegenerative disease other than MCI (e.g., Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis).
  • uncontrolled congestive heart failure (requiring hospitalization in the past year and/or unable to the equivalent of one city block).
  • history of hospitalization for stroke in the past 1 year.
  • inability to perform study procedures.

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: Prevention
  • 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: STEADI-Avatar

Cognitively normal participants receiving the intervention via technology.
Behavioral: Digital STEADI-1

STEADI fall risk screening, monitoring and exercise program delivered and coordinated via tablet-based avatar.
Experimental: STEADI-Chat

Cognitively normal participants receiving the intervention via technology.
Behavioral: Digital STEADI-2

STEADI fall risk screening, monitoring and exercise program delivered and coordinated via SMS chat.
Active Comparator: STEADI-Standard

Cognitively normal participants receiving the intervention via traditional, non-technological means.
Behavioral: STEADI Standard of Care

STEADI fall risk screening, monitoring, and exercise program delivered and coordinated via paper and pencil and humans.
Sham Comparator: STEADI-Control

Cognitively normal participants receiving an intervention via traditional, non-technological means.
Behavioral: Attentional control

Receiving CDC Healthy Living content unrelated to fall prevention plus usual geriatric care.
Experimental: STEADI MCI

Participants with mild cognitive impairment receiving the intervention via technology.
Behavioral: Digital STEADI-1

STEADI fall risk screening, monitoring and exercise program delivered and coordinated via tablet-based avatar.

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
Change from baseline fear of falling as measured by the Fall Efficacy Scale International (FES-I)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of the follow-up at 6 months.

Scores will vary between 16 and 64 for the full scale. Scores between 16-19 indicate fear of falling is LOW. Scores between 20-27 indicate fear of falling is MODERATE. Scores between 28-64 indicate fear of falling is HIGH.
From enrollment to the end of the follow-up at 6 months.

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
Cumulative, recurrent number of falls during the 6-month intervention period.
Time Frame: From randomization until the end of follow-up (6 months), withdrawal, loss to follow-up, or death

Participants will report fall status weekly and achieve a response if they report falling in the week preceding the report.
From randomization until the end of follow-up (6 months), withdrawal, loss to follow-up, or death

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.
Friendi.fi Corporation

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Emory University
National Institute on Aging (NIA)

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.
  • Study Director: Chantal Kerssens, MSc, PhD, Friendi.fi Corporation
  • Principal Investigator: Madeleine E Hackney, PhD, Emory University

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 (Actual)

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 4, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
May 1, 2028

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).
September 25, 2026

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.
September 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
October 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

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.
October 1, 2026

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.
September 25, 2026

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.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

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.
  • R44AG085913_RCT
  • R44AG085913 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Data are considered proprietary in the foreseeable future and may be shared at a later time when product commercialization is completed.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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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