Pilot Study of the Effects of Playing Golf on People With Dementia

Pilot Study on the Effects of Participating in a Dementia-friendly Golf Programme on People With Dementia and Their Informal Caregivers

The research question for this study is whether golf is a suitable physical activity for people with dementia (PWD). It follows a qualitative pilot study in Lincoln where PWD enjoyed the activity and caregivers appreciated the service. Golf combines many desirable elements in a physical activity programme that include being outdoors, social, cognitively challenging, no reaction-time component, and being a typical everyday activity. The length of time that golf sessions last could also offer a potential respite from care for caregivers.

Participants will be people with dementia and their caregivers. Eligibility criteria will include having been clinically diagnosed with dementia, being able to stand on one leg for at least six seconds to ensure participants are able to balance sufficiently well to be able to play golf. The study will be undertaken at The London Shire Golf Club, with the golf training provided by the Golf Trust, which is a charitable foundation experienced in providing golf training to people with a range of different disabilities.

The randomised controlled trial study will last 16 weeks, with a partial crossover design. The experimental group with have two eight-week periods of golf while the control group will have eight weeks without golf, then the golf intervention. There will be two 150-min sessions each week, starting with 30 minutes socialising, then 90 minutes playing golf, then 30 minutes socialising. The golf sessions will progress from putting, to chipping, and then a full swing, with sessions taking place on a nine-hole golf course. Participants will be evaluated before and after each eight-week period for physical function, physical activity level, cognitive function, and quality of life. Their caregivers will also provide information related to the PWD in terms of quality of life and psychopathology in dementia, as well as their own quality of life.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Dementia
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Golf

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 24
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Bedfordshire
    • Luton, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, LU1 3JU
      • Recruiting
      • University of Bedfordshire
      • Contact: David Hewson, PhD; Phone Number: +44 7525 616645; Email: david.hewson@beds.ac.uk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Clinically diagnosed with dementia (any dementia)
• Receiving post-diagnostic support
• The capacity to give informed consent
• The physical capacity to play golf as determined by a single-leg stance test of balance

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to give informed consent
• Without the physical capacity to play golf, as determined by a single-leg stance test of balance

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Golf intervention; The golf intervention will be an eight-week golf programme in which participants will be taught to play golf in two 150-min sessions each week. Each session will begin with 30 minutes of socialising, then 90 minutes playing golf, followed by another 30 minutes socialising. The golf sessions will progress from putting, to chipping, and then a full swing, with sessions taking place on a nine-hole golf course.	Other: Golf; Eight weeks of twice-daily golf training
No Intervention: Control; Control participants will continue their normal activities.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Quality of life	Quality of life will be assessed using the DEMQOL, which is a 28-item scale that was designed for use with all stages of dementia, and is filled in by the interviewer along with with the participant.	5 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)	Physical function will be assessed using the SPPB, which consists of three tests to measure balance, walking speed, and muscular performance standing up from a chair.	10 minutes
Assessment of Physical Activity in Frail Older People (APAFOP)	Physical activity levels will be recorded using the APAFOP, which uses more common activities in older people such as walking, standing, sitting, and lying, which are given intensity ratings and are more typical of the types of activities of older PWD.	5 minutes
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)	The MoCA is a rapid screening instrument for mild cognitive dysfunction. It assesses different cognitive domains: attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructional skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and orientation.	10 minutes
Caregiver assessment of quality of life (DEMQOL-Proxy)	An assessment of the caregiver's impression of the quality of life of the PWD they care for.	5 minutes
The C-DEMQOL will be used to assess the quality of life of caregivers of PWD. Quality of life of caregivers (C-DEMQOL)	The C-DEMQOL will be used to assess the quality of life of caregivers of PWD.	5 minutes
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI-Q)	Caregivers will complete the short form of the NPI-Q to provide an assessment of neuropsychiatric symptoms and associated caregiver distress.	5 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Bedfordshire

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): September 30, 2018
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): March 31, 2019
• Study Completion (Anticipated): July 31, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 9, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): March 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 11, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 9, 2018
• Last Verified: October 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Dementia
• Other Study ID Numbers: IHREC820

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