Design and Implementation of a Physical Exercise Program With Virtual Reality to Improve Functional Capacities in Older People.

November 2, 2022 updated by: Pablo Campo-Prieto

Design and Implementation of a Immersive Virtual Reality Physical Exercise Program to Improve Functional Capacities in Older People.

TITLE: Desing and implementation of a Immersive Virtual Reality exercise program to improve balance in older people

INTRO: Older people grow around the world at a faster rate than any other age group, resulting in an accelerated aging of the population and an increase in life expectancy. In response to this new reality, active aging programs and strategies are especially relevant and it based in physical activity practice, whose main objective is to maintain or improve the functionality of the person, even though the loss of balance in the elderly represents a significant difficulty in their lives, since this aspect reduces their postural control, increasing the risk of falls and injuries. Our project REVIEM (Inmersive Virtual Reality Exergaming in Olders) is a new strategy to improve the balance in older people, using a exercise program with Virtual Reality glasses for this purpose.

HYPOTHESIS: The practice of REVIEM protocol based on physical function training in older adults collaborates in the maintenance and improvement of functional capacities, reducing the number of falls and increasing their personal autonomy.

GENERAL GOALS:

1.1 Design and implement a REVIEM exercise program / protocol to improve balance in older people 1.2 Analyze the effects of this REVIEM program / protocol, in the short and medium term in institutionalized individuals.

1.3 Identify if there is a relationship between the variables that induce fragility and functional dependence and the REVIEM protocol

SPECIFIC GOALS:

2.1 Determine the REVIEM protocol to improve differential effects for 6 minutes a day (3 days a week for 10 weeks)

2.1.1 The improvement of the functional independence of individuals by improving balance, reducing the risk of falls and proper development in activities of daily living.

2.1.2 The improvement of gait. 2.1.3 The improvement of quality of life. 2.1.4 The improvement of handgrip.

2.2 Determine the parameters related to immerse virtual reality exposure. 2.2.1 Safety of the virtual reality exposure 2.2.2 Usability of the virtual reality exposure 2.2.3 Personal experiences and satisfaction of the virtual reality exposure

METHODS:

Design: Randomized controlled trial. The institutionalized elderly from the geriatric center Saraiva Senior Center in Pontevedra, Spain, will be invited to take part in the study. After they meet the selection criteria, they will be assigned to on experimental group and one control group. Information regarding sociodemographic characteristics and a clinical anamnesis of the participants will be collected.

Intervention: Two groups (experimental and control). Experimental group will perform the REVIEM protocol sessions (6 min) focused on the upper and lower limbs. (3 sessions per week for 10 weeks). All sessions will begin with a warm-up focused on the stimulation of coordination and joint mobilization, so that the body is predisposed both centrally and peripherally for the performance of the session and will end with a stretching routine accompanied by breathing cycles calm and controlled. The session will be supervised by the physiotherapist, occupational therapist or expert in physical exercise of the center.

Control group will participate in the usual activities proposed by the center management.

Assessments: 4 evaluations will be carried: initial, intermediate (at 1 month), final (at 10 weeks) and follow-up (1 month after to end the program).

The contents of the assessmentens will be:

  1. Characteristics of patients: "ad hoc" record sheet that will include data on age, sex, associated pathologies and pharmacological treatment.
  2. REVIEM protocol. Safety (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire), Usability (System Usability Scale) and personal experiences (Game Experience Questionnaire and "ad hoc" interview notebook)

2. Balance, gait and fall risk (Tinetti Test) 3. Functional mobility and lower limbs strength (Five times sit to stand test) 4. Functional autonomy (Timed Up and Go Test) 5. Quality of life (SF-12 Scale) 6. Handgrip (dynamometer)

Hypothesis : our findings aim to support the use of new health technologies in the field of rehabilitation and healthcare for the elderly, achieving a feasible and safety Immersive Virtual Reality exergaming program.

Study Overview

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

24

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

    • Galicia
      • Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain, 36005
        • Pablo Campo-Prieto

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

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Saraiva Senior Center members
  • Signed informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Comorbidity that discourages the exercise of physical exercise and that allows to carry out all the programmed evaluations.
  • Mobility problems that prevent compliance with the protocol.
  • Serious visual and / or auditory disturbances that impede the development of the session, as well as those with a history of vertigo, seizures or epileptic seizures to prevent exacerbations of these symptoms as potential adverse effects of Immersive Virtual Reality.
  • Severe cognitive impairment.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Virtual Reality group
Immersive Virtual Reality exercise program + Usual center therapies
Sessions with an exercise program focused in upper and low limbs movements in a virtual enviroment, all performed in standing position.
Active Comparator: Usual activities group
Usual center therapies
Usual center therapies (Physical therapy, occupational therapy..)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Simulator Sickness Questionnaire
Time Frame: 4 weeks
SSQ is used for measuring users' level of sickness symptoms and is highly appreciated in VR research. Each item is rated with the scale from none, slight, moderate to severe. Through some calculations, four representative scores can be found. Nausea-related subscore (N), Oculomotorrelated subscore (O), Disorientation-related subscore (D) are the scores for the symptoms for the specific aspects. Total Score (TS) is the score representing the overall severity of cybersickness experienced by the users of virtual reality systems.
4 weeks
Simulator Sickness Questionnaire
Time Frame: 10 weeks
SSQ is used for measuring users' level of sickness symptoms and is highly appreciated in VR research. Each item is rated with the scale from none, slight, moderate to severe. Through some calculations, four representative scores can be found. Nausea-related subscore (N), Oculomotorrelated subscore (O), Disorientation-related subscore (D) are the scores for the symptoms for the specific aspects. Total Score (TS) is the score representing the overall severity of cybersickness experienced by the users of virtual reality systems.
10 weeks
System Usability Scale
Time Frame: 4 weeks
SUS provides a quick and reliable tool for measuring the usability. It consists of a 10 item questionnaire with five response options for respondents; from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree. It allows you to evaluate a wide variety of products and services, including hardware, software, mobile devices, websites and applications.
4 weeks
System Usability Scale
Time Frame: 10 weeks
SUS provides a quick and reliable tool for measuring the usability. It consists of a 10 item questionnaire with five response options for respondents; from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree. It allows you to evaluate a wide variety of products and services, including hardware, software, mobile devices, websites and applications.
10 weeks
Game Experience Questionnaire (post game module)
Time Frame: 4 weeks
GEQ can be applied after playing the game, several times over a longer period - also to see the changes in the experience. It is applicable for lab and field evaluation studies.Post game module - conserns experiences once a player has stopped gaming.Captures the game experience based on a number of items (such as positive affect, competence, immersion, flow, challenge).
4 weeks
Game Experience Questionnaire (post game module)
Time Frame: 10 weeks
GEQ can be applied after playing the game, several times over a longer period - also to see the changes in the experience. It is applicable for lab and field evaluation studies.Post game module - conserns experiences once a player has stopped gaming.Captures the game experience based on a number of items (such as positive affect, competence, immersion, flow, challenge).
10 weeks
Tinetti Test
Time Frame: pre intervention
The Tinetti Assessment Tool is a simple, easily administered test that measures a resident's gait and balance. The test is scored on the resident's ability to perform specific tasks. Scoring of the Tinetti Assessment Tool is done on a three point ordinal scale with a range of 0 to 2. A score of 0 represents the most impairment, while a score of 2 represents independence. The individual scores are then combined to form three measures; an overall gait assessment score, and overall balance assessment score, ad a combined gait and balance score. The maximum score for the gait component is 12 points. The maximum score for the balance component is 16 points. The maximum total score is 28 points. In general, residents who score below 19 are at a high risk for falls.
pre intervention
Tinetti Test
Time Frame: 10 weeks
The Tinetti Assessment Tool is a simple, easily administered test that measures a resident's gait and balance. The test is scored on the resident's ability to perform specific tasks. Scoring of the Tinetti Assessment Tool is done on a three point ordinal scale with a range of 0 to 2. A score of 0 represents the most impairment, while a score of 2 represents independence. The individual scores are then combined to form three measures; an overall gait assessment score, and overall balance assessment score, ad a combined gait and balance score. The maximum score for the gait component is 12 points. The maximum score for the balance component is 16 points. The maximum total score is 28 points. In general, residents who score below 19 are at a high risk for falls.
10 weeks
Tinetti Test
Time Frame: 14 weeks
The Tinetti Assessment Tool is a simple, easily administered test that measures a resident's gait and balance. The test is scored on the resident's ability to perform specific tasks. Scoring of the Tinetti Assessment Tool is done on a three point ordinal scale with a range of 0 to 2. A score of 0 represents the most impairment, while a score of 2 represents independence. The individual scores are then combined to form three measures; an overall gait assessment score, and overall balance assessment score, ad a combined gait and balance score. The maximum score for the gait component is 12 points. The maximum score for the balance component is 16 points. The maximum total score is 28 points. In general, residents who score below 19 are at a high risk for falls.
14 weeks
Five times sit to stand test
Time Frame: pre intervention
FTSTS is used to objectively determine measures to provide a method to quantify functional lower extremity strength and/or identify movement strategies a patient uses to complete transitional movements
pre intervention
Five times sit to stand test
Time Frame: 10 weeks
FTSTS is used to objectively determine measures to provide a method to quantify functional lower extremity strength and/or identify movement strategies a patient uses to complete transitional movements
10 weeks
Five times sit to stand test
Time Frame: 14 weeks
FTSTS is used to objectively determine measures to provide a method to quantify functional lower extremity strength and/or identify movement strategies a patient uses to complete transitional movements
14 weeks
Time Up and Go Test
Time Frame: pre intervention
Standardized test to assess the basic functional mobility of elderly persons and requires both static and dynamic balance. The patient is observed and timed while he rises from an arm chair, walks 3 meters, turns, walks back, and sits down again.
pre intervention
Time Up and Go Test
Time Frame: 10 weeks
Standardized test to assess the basic functional mobility of elderly persons and requires both static and dynamic balance. The patient is observed and timed while he rises from an arm chair, walks 3 meters, turns, walks back, and sits down again.
10 weeks
Time Up and Go Test
Time Frame: 12 weeks
Standardized test to assess the basic functional mobility of elderly persons and requires both static and dynamic balance. The patient is observed and timed while he rises from an arm chair, walks 3 meters, turns, walks back, and sits down again.
12 weeks
SF-12 Scale
Time Frame: pre intervention
It is one of the most used questionnaires to evaluate the multidimensional health related quality of life, worldwide. The 12 items are a subset of those in the SF-36 and measures 8 concepts: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality (energy/fatigue), social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and mental health (psychological distress and psychological well being).
pre intervention
SF-12 Scale
Time Frame: 10 weeks
It is one of the most used questionnaires to evaluate the multidimensional health related quality of life, worldwide. The 12 items are a subset of those in the SF-36 and measures 8 concepts: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality (energy/fatigue), social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems and mental health (psychological distress and psychological well being).
10 weeks
Strengh
Time Frame: pre intervention
handgrip strength
pre intervention
Strengh
Time Frame: 10 weeks
handgrip strength
10 weeks
Strengh
Time Frame: 14 weeks
handgrip strength
14 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Collaborators

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Pablo Campo-Prieto, PT M. Sc., HealthyFit Research Group - University of Vigo

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)

October 11, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 11, 2021

Study Completion (Actual)

December 29, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 31, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 2, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

April 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 10, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 2, 2022

Last Verified

November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

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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