Pole Walking Intervention in Retirement Communities

Pole Walking Intervention Within Independent Living/Retirement Communities: Feasibility and Pilot

This patient-oriented, multi-site study aims to co-design and test a pole walking program with resident and staff representatives from participating independent living and retirement communities.

The first part of the study (feasibility phase) is a single-group trial designed to answer the main question: Is the pole walking program feasible in these settings? In this phase, all participants will take part in the program.

The second part of the study (pilot phase) is a two-group randomized trial that will assess whether the program helps improve physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, while also reducing sedentary time (time spent sitting or being inactive) in older adults living in independent living and retirement communities. Communities will be randomly assigned to either start the program right away or join a wait-list control group.

The program will include supervised group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes each session, over a 12-week period. Sessions will take place outdoors when possible, or indoors if the weather is not suitable.

After follow-up assessments are complete, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their communities.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fall Injury; Osteoporotic Fractures
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Pole walking

Detailed Description

Pole walking provides an attractive form of exercise therapy for older adults. It is a simple, well-tolerated, and effective means to improve overall functional fitness in older adults. Pole walking has improved upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility in community-dwelling older adults. It has been positively associated with balance, functional mobility, muscle strength, and aerobic exercise capacity in older adults. Pole walking is considered to offer a safe format for walking, as poles provide support and help with balance, and thus contribute to confidence in being active. However, there has not yet been a study assessing the feasibility and efficacy of a pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities.

This patient-oriented, multi-site study consists of a feasibility and a pilot phase. The feasibility phase is a single-arm trial that will assess the feasibility and safety of implementing a pole walking intervention within independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, all participants will receive the intervention. The pilot phase is a two-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial that will assess the efficacy of the pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, our target is to include 50 residents from independent living/retirement communities. Sites will be randomized to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit). After completing follow-up assessments, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their sites.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 53
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • Saskatchewan
    • Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 1G9
      • Saija Kontulainen, University of Saskatchewan

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Study Population

Residents of independent living/retirement communities

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being an ambulatory resident in the independent living/retirement communities.
• Pass the Get Active Questionnaire. If the participant has heart conditions, angina during daily living, balance, and bone or joint problems, then a Physician Clearance Form is required to be filled out and signed by the participant's family physician.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Using assistive devices for mobility.
• Being active (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ≥150 min/week).
• Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pole walking intervention; Will participate in supervised, group pole walking intervention sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period.	Other: Pole walking; The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit).
No Intervention: Wait-list control; Will continue life as usual during the 12-week period. However, after completing follow-up assessments, will also be offered the pole walking intervention at their communities.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - consent rate	Assessed by calculating consent rate (%) as the percentage of participants assessed for eligibility who consented.	After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - recruitment rate	Assessed by calculating recruitment rate (participant/site/month) as the number of potentially eligible participants who consented divided by the number of recruiting sites and then divided by the number of months spent on recruitment.	After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - retention rate	Assessed by calculating retention rate (%) as the percentage of eligible participants enrolled in the study who received the allocated intervention and completed both baseline and follow-up assessments.	After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - attendance rate	Assessed by calculating attendance rate (%) as the percentage of available intervention sessions attended by each participant.	After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention acceptability score	Assessed by calculating intervention acceptability score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention acceptability measure.	Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention appropriateness score	Assessed by calculating intervention appropriateness score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater appropriateness of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention appropriateness measure.	Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)
Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention feasibility score	Assessed by calculating intervention feasibility score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater feasibility of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention feasibility measure.	Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)
Physical function - functional balance/mobility	Assessed by the timed "up & go" test.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Physical function - lower-body strength	Assessed by the 30-s chair stand test.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Health-related quality of life	Assessed by the 36-item short form survey, which provides a score ranging from 0-100 for each of its 8 scales (the higher the scale scores, the more favorable the corresponding health states).	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Safety of pole walking intervention	Assessed by the seriousness and relatedness to the intervention of recorded adverse events.	Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)
Physical function - functional capacity	Assessed by the 6-min walk test.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Physical function - upper-body strength	Assessed by the grip strength test.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Physical activity/sedentary time	Assessed by 7-day accelerometry.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Fear of falling	Assessed by the 10-item falls efficacy scale, which provides a total score ranging from 10-100, with higher scores suggesting greater fear of falling.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the lower leg	Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the forearm	Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.	Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Body composition - areal bone mineral density at the hip	Assessed by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.	Baseline assessment sessions (before the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)
Body composition - areal bone mineral density at the lumbar spine	Assessed by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.	Baseline assessment sessions (before the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Saskatchewan
• Collaborators: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation; Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Saija A Kontulainen, PhD, Professor, College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 28, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 22, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): September 22, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 18, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 18, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 24, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 29, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 27, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Feasibility; Exercise Intervention; Pilot; Patient-oriented
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Fractures, Bone; Osteoporotic Fractures; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise; Locomotion; Walking; Nordic Walking
• Other Study ID Numbers: 141

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