Longitudinal Study to Determine the Effectiveness of the Mobility Checkup for Older Adults (LEMCOA)

A Longitudinal Study of the Effectiveness of the Mobility Checkup for Older Adults: Feasibility in the 'Year 1' Cohort

The investigators are developing a new, preventative physical therapy model of care for older adults called Mobility Checkup (MC). Proposed as an annual visit, the MC includes measurement of physical performance and education regarding the importance of maintaining mobility for overall health. The purpose of this study is to determine the feasibility of and begin data collection for, a longitudinal study of the effectiveness of the Mobility Checkup with a small cohort. This activity will evaluate the feasibility of recruitment and implementation of this longitudinal effectiveness study.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy Aging
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mobility Checkup for older adults

Detailed Description

Healthy aging is defined as "the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age" and includes mobility. Mobility disability (i.e., the inability to walk 400 meters and climb a flight of stairs without assistance) is the most prevalent form of disability for older adults in the United States. Unlike blood pressure or body mass index, physical performance measures such as walking speed help identify and predict preclinical mobility disability, but are rarely used in routine medical care. This is a missed opportunity, particularly for older adults, who may experience a subtle decline in physical performance that leads to mobility disability.

The position of the American Physical Therapy Association is that all people should have an annual physical therapy visit to optimize movement and promote health, wellness, and fitness; and slow the progression of impairments of body functions and structures, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.

Recommendations support preventive care for maintaining mobility. However, a model of care specific to preventing mobility disability in older adults is not common practice. Evidence suggests routine screening can predict mobility disability in older adults and that activity-based interventions prevent it.

The is year 1 of a longitudinal study that will determine the feasibility of an effectiveness study of a Mobility Checkup, an annual preventive visit within a model of physical therapy care. The Mobility Checkup prioratizes educating older adults on the value of physical performance as an indicator of health and aims to maintain mobility and reduce mobility disability among participants. Ultimately, this new model of care could result in a cost-effective tool to establish baseline physical performance and identify and prevent preclinical and mobility disabilities in older adults.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Alexandra L Borstad, PhD; Phone Number: 218-625-4938; Email: aborstad@css.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Minnesota
    • Duluth, Minnesota, United States, 55812
      • Recruiting
      • College of St. Scholastica-Health Science Center
      • Contact: Kathy King, BS; Phone Number: 218-723-6786; Email: kking@css.edu
      • Contact: John D Borstad; Phone Number: 2187236523; Email: jborstad1@css.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Alexandra L Borstad, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 55 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 55 years of age or older
• Walk independently with or without an assistive device

Exclusion Criteria:

• Experiencing short-term condition affecting their mobility
• Cardiac procedure or myocardial infarction (heart attack) in the last 6 months
• Has a guardian who is responsible for their healthcare decisions

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Mobility Checkup Intervention; 45-minute Mobility checkup that includes 5 physical performance measures and education based on outcomes compared to age and gender normative values.

Behavioral: Mobility Checkup for older adults; The Mobility Checkup (MC) for older adults is a 45-minute preventative physical therapy visit designed to maintain mobility during aging. It has two parts, measurement (25 minutes) and education (20 minutes). The 5 standardized measures of physical performance in the MC are Walking speed, single leg stance time (balance), Five rep sit to stand (muscular endurance, transitions), 6-meter walk test (general endurance), and Timed up from floor test (transitions). Participants are provided education structured into 4 elements. 1. They are told their performance scores 2. They are shown how their performance scores on each of the measures compare to age and sex-referenced normative values 3. They are provided information about what their performance predicts about their health 4. They are referred to an appropriate provider if there was a health or safety concern during their MC or they are educated to follow the recommendations for physical activity that are recommended by the CDC.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
LASA Physical Activity Questionnaire (LAPAQ)	Questionnaire designed to measure the amount of physical activity a person completed over the last two weeks.	one year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The 6-minute walk test	In the 6-minute walk test the distance in meters a person can walk in 6 minutes is measured as evidence of their endurance.	one year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: College of St. Scholastica, Inc.

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Lieberz D, Borgeson H, Dobson S, Ewings L, Johnson K, Klaysmat K, Schultz A, Tasson R, Borstad AL. A Physical Therapy Mobility Checkup for Older Adults: Feasibility and Participant Preferences From a Discrete Choice Experiment. J Patient Cent Res Rev. 2022 Jan 17;9(1):24-34. doi: 10.17294/2330-0698.1874. eCollection 2022 Winter.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 16, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 16, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 16, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): February 27, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 26, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 25, 2023
• Last Verified: September 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 1234 (Department of Defense)

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