12 Weeks Orienteering Program Exercise on Older Adults

Effects of Orientation Exercise Program on Older Adults, Motor Skills, Cognitive and Emotional State: a Pilot Study

This study aims to determine the effects of an orientation exercise program addressed to old on physical-motor, cognitive, and affective competencies.

This quasi-experimental study is a controlled trial involving an orientation exercise program. The program will run for 12 weeks (3 sessions per week).

Participants will be clustered into two groups: the experimental group will perform the exercise orientation sessions, and the control group will maintain regular activities routines. Evaluations will be performed before and after the intervention.

After the study is finished, the control group will attend a similar exercise program.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Community-dwelling Older Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Orienteering exercise program

Detailed Description

The aging process is lived for all and is associated with uncountable limitations, such as physical, psychological, cognitive, or emotional, that daily translate into difficulty in accomplishing normal activities (2). Simple tasks such as getting up and sitting, carrying a shopping bag, or climbing some stairs, start being seen as an obstacle, much because of aging and the associated decline in physical and cognitive competencies such as balance, limb strength, aerobic capacity, motor coordination, processing speed, memory, executive functioning and, consequently, affective competences, such as emotional states and depression may also be compromised (1).

Despite the above, it is known that there are some ways and alternatives that, even not reversing the aging process, might delay it, promoting healthy aging (6). Scientific advances recommend regular physical exercise since exercise ensures a more active lifestyle and, therefore, a less dependent on others' life. There are many options that physical exercise professionals can choose for planning physical exercise programs for older people (3).

Nonetheless, instead of exercise planning training prescription, other options can be used to achieve healthy aging. In alternative to traditional exercise training, sporting modalities, such as orientation, may benefit this population.

According to a study, after applying a protocol that included changes to the terrain to improve older adults' balance, there were significant improvements in their stride time (4).

Other studies done within the same area, which applied one questionnaire on functional well-being, and four scales on depression, gastrointestinal system, physical activity, and healthy index to senior athletes between the ages of 67 and 71, found significant improvements in all the referred parameters except for the depression scale where the control group made up of older adults who do not practice the modality showed better results (5).

However, the literature is scarce concerning the participation in orientation programs by the elderly population, namely in terms of this program's effect on aerobic capacity, lower limb strength, motor coordination, processing speed, memory, and executive functioning.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 54
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Portugal
  • Évora, Portugal
    • Universidade de Évora

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 65-75 years old;
• Locomotor independent capacity;
• Independent living in the community;
• Historical of physical activity practice;
• Attended, at least, the 3º school grade.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Cognitive impairment such < 15 points in Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE);
• Evidence of neuromuscular disturb;
• Use of medication that conditions the performance of the orientation exercise tasks.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Experimental Orienteering group program; The experimental group intervention will attend the orienteering program. The program integrates 3 sessions / week during 12 consecutive weeks.	Other: Orienteering exercise program; Orienteering exercise program running for 12 weeks (30-45 minutes, 3 sessions/week). Sessions will have 4 phases: 1) Signature of attendance sheet; 2) warm-up exercises for 5 minutes; 3) Start of orienteering proofs, where the departs will occur individually, with 3 interval minutes between participants; 4) stretches session, to return to a calm state.
No Intervention: The control group; The control group will maintain the usually daily activities, not attending any exercise program. After study end, the control group will have the opportunity to participate on an exercise program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in physical competencies	Fullerton Advance Balance Scale to assess balance, ranging from 0 (worst) to 40 (best) points	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in physical competencies	Senior Fitness Test, 6 minutes walking to assess aerobic capacity, measure in meters	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in physical competencies	Senior Fitness Test, Sit and Stand to assess limb strength, measure by the number of repetitions	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in physical competencies	Soda Pop Test to assess motor coordination.	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in cognitive competencies	Trail Making Test (Part A and B) to assess processing speed and executive functioning, measure in seconds	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in cognitive competencies	Rey Auditory Verbal Test to assess memory, measure in seconds	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in affective competencies	Profile of Mood States to assess mood states, ranging from -32 (best) to 200 (worst) points	0, 12 weeks
Change from the beginning, between groups comparison, in affective competencies	Geriatric Depression Scale to assess depression state, ranging from 0 (best) to 30 (worst) points	0, 12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive impairment	Mini-Mental State Examination, ranging from 0 (worst) to 30 (best) points	0 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Évora
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Catarina Pereira, Doctoral degree, University of Évora; Principal Investigator: José Marmeleira, Doctoral degree, University of Évora

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bliss ES, Wong RH, Howe PR, Mills DE. Benefits of exercise training on cerebrovascular and cognitive function in ageing. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2021 Mar;41(3):447-470. doi: 10.1177/0271678X20957807. Epub 2020 Sep 20.
• Eckstrom E, Neukam S, Kalin L, Wright J. Physical Activity and Healthy Aging. Clin Geriatr Med. 2020 Nov;36(4):671-683. doi: 10.1016/j.cger.2020.06.009. Epub 2020 Aug 19.
• Hemmeter UM, Ngamsri T. [Physical Activity and Mental Health in the Elderly]. Praxis (Bern 1994). 2022;110(4):193-198. doi: 10.1024/1661-8157/a003853. German.
• McCarthy, I., Suzuki, T., Tyler, N. & Holloway, C. (2016). Mobility in the built environment: Age-related changes in gait characteristics when walking on complex terrain. Healthy Aging Research, 5:10.
• Ostlund-Lagerstrom L, Blomberg K, Algilani S, Schoultz M, Kihlgren A, Brummer RJ, Schoultz I. Senior orienteering athletes as a model of healthy aging: a mixed-method approach. BMC Geriatr. 2015 Jul 8;15:76. doi: 10.1186/s12877-015-0072-6.
• Thomas E, Battaglia G, Patti A, Brusa J, Leonardi V, Palma A, Bellafiore M. Physical activity programs for balance and fall prevention in elderly: A systematic review. Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Jul;98(27):e16218. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000016218.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2023
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 22, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 29, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): July 10, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 5, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 3, 2023
• Last Verified: July 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Franclim Martins

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No