Feasibility Study of an Outdoor Strength Training Program for Older Adults

November 3, 2026 updated by: Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

Development and Implementation of Resistance Training Programs in Community-dwelling Older Adults Using Outdoor Activity Benches: a Feasibility and Pilot Study.

In order to promote healthy ageing and independent living, the World Health Organization recommends older adults to engage in resistance exercise at least twice weekly. However, only a minority of the older population complies with these guidelines, stressing the urgent need to develop comprehensive strategies to implement resistance exercise programs in the community. This PhD project will be performed in close collaboration with IPitup vzw, who developed outdoor activity benches, an accommodating smartphone app with exercise instructions and training courses as a low-cost modality for resistance exercise in the general population. The aim is to build upon these existing structures and develop an optimized, progressive resistance exercise program for community-dwelling older adults, which can be performed in small groups without the need for specialized training experts. The program's feasibility, defined in terms of safety, adherence, usability and acceptability, will be tested.

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.

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.
24

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 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

  • Belgium
    • Vlaams-Brabant
      • Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, 3000
        • Recruiting
        • KU Leuven - Department of Movement Sciences
        • Contact:

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:

  • Community-dwelling adults
  • At least 65 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participation in an interventional study with an investigational medicinal product (IMP) or device
  • Systematic engagement in resistance exercise during the past year
  • Self-reported, unstable cardiovascular disease, neuromuscular disease, acute infection or fever
  • Self-reported, surgery in the past year
  • Self-reported injuries that result in the inability to perform study-related tasks
  • Inability to understand the test and training procedures because of cognitive problems

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Peer-supported outdoor strength training

Participants take part in a 6-week outdoor strength training program using activity benches and a smartphone application. Training is performed in small groups of six community-dwelling older adults. Within each group, one participant acts as a peer coach and provides practical support and motivation.
Other: 6-week outdoor strength training program using activity benches and a smartphone application

2x/week, 35-45min sessions at the outdoor activity bench

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
Number of Participants Experiencing Adverse Events
Time Frame: Throughout the 6-week intervention

Safety of the intervention, assessed as the number of participants experiencing one or more adverse events related to testing or training sessions during the intervention period.
Throughout the 6-week intervention
Participant Adherence Rate
Time Frame: Throughout the 10-week study period

Adherence to the intervention, assessed as the proportion of participants who complete the intervention and post-intervention assessments. And assessed as the percentage of scheduled training sessions attended by participants during the 6-week intervention.
Throughout the 10-week study period
System Usability Scale (SUS)
Time Frame: Post-intervention at week 9

Usability of the intervention will be assessed using the System Usability Scale (SUS), a 10-item questionnaire yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 5. Five items are positively worded, for which higher response scores indicate greater usability, while five items are negatively worded and are reverse-scored, such that lower response scores indicate greater usability.
Post-intervention at week 9
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Time Frame: Post-intervention at week 9

Acceptability of the intervention, assessed using the Net Promoter Score (NPS), based on participants' likelihood of recommending the programme to others. Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability and willingness to recommend the intervention.
Post-intervention at week 9
Participant Acceptability of the Intervention
Time Frame: Post-intervention at week 9

Acceptability of the intervention, assessed through participant feedback regarding the peer-led delivery model and the appropriateness of training intensity and progression. Responses will be summarized descriptively.
Post-intervention at week 9
Completion Rate of Data Collection Procedures
Time Frame: Over the 10-week study period

Feasibility of data collection procedures, assessed as the proportion of planned laboratory-based assessments, questionnaire assessments, and IPitup app-based assessments successfully completed by participants. Higher percentages indicate greater feasibility of the data collection procedures.
Over the 10-week study period
Change in Lower Limb Muscle Strength and Power
Time Frame: Baseline at week 1 and post-intervention at week 9

Preliminary effects of the intervention on muscle strength and power, assessed as the change in lower limb muscle strength and power from baseline to post-intervention. Muscle strength and power will be measured using the predefined study strength assessment protocol. Higher values indicate greater muscle strength and power.
Baseline at week 1 and post-intervention at week 9
Implementation Barriers and Facilitators Identified During Focus Groups
Time Frame: Post-intervention at week 10

Implementation barriers and facilitators will be explored through semi-structured focus groups conducted following the intervention. Audio recordings will be transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Identified barriers and facilitators will be categorized into themes to inform optimization of a future randomized controlled trial.
Post-intervention at week 10

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.
Universitaire Ziekenhuizen KU Leuven

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.
August 18, 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.
November 4, 2026

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.
November 4, 2026

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 24, 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.
November 3, 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.
November 10, 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.
November 10, 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.
November 3, 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.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • S71971

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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