The Baltimore Experience Corps Study

September 18, 2013 updated by: George W. Rebok, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Experience Corps Trial: Improving Health of Older Populations Through Generativity

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the Experience Corps program in preventing or delaying physical disability in older adults, by studying the effects of volunteerism on physical, social and cognitive well-being.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The Baltimore Experience Corps Study is a randomized, controlled, community-based trial of the effectiveness of Experience Corps (EC) to determine if participation for adults 60 years and older, over two years of follow-up, results in better outcomes in the EC versus control arm in terms of mobility, strength, balance, and cognitive functioning.

The Experience Corps is a community-based model for health promotion for older adults embedded within a social engagement program. The program places older adult volunteers in meaningful roles in public elementary schools, bringing the time, experience, and wisdom of older adults to bear in improving academic and behavioral outcomes of children. The Experience Corps incorporates health promotion preventing disability and dependency associated with aging, into new, generative roles for older adults.

This program was initially designed by Dr. Linda Fried of this application, along with Marc Freedman of Civic Ventures, Inc. It has gone through two national demonstrations, neither of which evaluated the impact on older adults.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

702

Phase

  • 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
    • Maryland
      • Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 21205
        • Center on Aging and Health

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

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 60 years or older
  • Agree to commit to at least 1 year of participation in the EC and to participate at least 15 hours per week for the full school year, if randomized to the intervention group
  • Meet minimum criteria for cognitive functioning necessary to function successfully in a school setting
  • Functionally literate, using a nationally recognized and standardized evaluation which provides grade level equivalency in reading and spelling
  • Ability to travel to the schools, if randomized to the intervention group
  • Agree to accept randomization and to participate in evaluations
  • Clearance on the Baltimore city public school's criminal background check, if randomized to intervention group
  • Complete training, if randomized to intervention group

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Under 60 years of age

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Volunteer
High intensity volunteering (15 hours a week or greater) in Baltimore City Schools with children in grades K-3
Behavioral: Experience Corps
High intensity volunteering (15 hours a week or more) over a two year time period working with children in grades K-3 in Baltimore City Schools. Controls are assigned to usual activities for two years and then offered opportunity to volunteer with children at the end of two year.
No Intervention: Control
Usual activities

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Decreased disability in mobility and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
Time Frame: Measured in 4 month intevals from baseline to 24 month
Walking speed, chair stands, questionnaires related to mobility and activities
Measured in 4 month intevals from baseline to 24 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Decreased falls
Time Frame: Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 month
Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 month
decreased rate of decline in memory
Time Frame: Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 month
Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 month
increased, preserved or slowed decline in strength, balance, walking speed, frailty, timed "get up and go", cortical plasticity and executive function and speed and accuracy in objective IADL task performance
Time Frame: Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 months
Measured in 4 month intervals from baseline to 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Collaborators

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Retirement Research Foundation
Abell Foundation
The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc.
Goldseker Foundation

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: George Rebok, PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

July 1, 2006

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 25, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 25, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

September 26, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 19, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 18, 2013

Last Verified

September 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AG0069
  • P01AG027735 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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