Successful Aging and Age-related Decline (MyAgeWell)

Successful Ageing: Evidence-based Interventions to Delay Ageing-related Decline

Recent studies have shown promising cognitive and physical interventions aimed at slowing down ageing-related declines in quality of life, but they lack strong ecological validity (brief durations, unrealistic goals, no real-world application) and has yet to show robust evidence that such interventions are stable and suitable in the long-term. The investigators aim to examine whether these interventions can, over four years, significantly slow down the normal rate of ageing-related decline.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Aging; Elderly; Cognitive Decline; Intervention Study; Physical Decline
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Cognitive stimulation; Behavioral: Physical activity

Detailed Description

This is a longitudinal, controlled, cohort study. The overarching aim in this intervention study is three-fold: (1) to test hypotheses derived from ageing-related theories, (2) to provide robust measurable evidence both in the long-term and validate meaningful interventions, and (3) provide quantifiable cost-benefit ratio to suggested solutions. A cohort of Malaysian older adults will be recruited and assigned to one of the groups, either cognitive stimulation, physical activity, combined cognitive stimulation and physical activity, or non-intervention control.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 400
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Malaysia
  • Selangor
    • Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 47500
      • Sunway University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Malaysian older adults aged 60 and above who fulfil the following criteria will be recruited:

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy and this includes those seeking regular medical attention,
• Have some form of mobility (ability to walk short distances at least 3m),
• Able to communicate in at least one of the following languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Older adults with a history of stroke,
• Diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's) or psychiatric disorders,
• Uncorrected auditory and/or visual impairments,
• Currently on psychiatric medications,
• Immobile,
• Require full-time caregiver assistance,
• With comprehension impediments from the assessment portion of this project,
• A Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of <13.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Cognitive stimulation; Participants will take part in psychoeducation, videogaming, book club and technology training workshops.	Behavioral: Cognitive stimulation; The cognitive stimulation will comprise of psychoeducation, videogaming, book club and technology training workshop sessions. Participants will take part in weekly sessions that are an hour long each. For every six months, the participants will alternate between psychoeducation, videogaming, book club and technology training workshop sessions.
Experimental: Physical activity; Participants will take part in walking, Zumba, resistance exercise and aerobics sessions.	Behavioral: Physical activity; The physical activity intervention will comprise of walking, Zumba, resistance exercise and aerobics sessions. Participants will take part in weekly sessions that are an hour long each. For every six months, the participants will alternate between walking, Zumba, resistance exercise and aerobics sessions until the end of intervention period.
Experimental: Combined intervention; Participants will take part in both cognitive stimulation and physical activity intervention sessions.	Behavioral: Cognitive stimulation; The cognitive stimulation will comprise of psychoeducation, videogaming, book club and technology training workshop sessions. Participants will take part in weekly sessions that are an hour long each. For every six months, the participants will alternate between psychoeducation, videogaming, book club and technology training workshop sessions.; Behavioral: Physical activity; The physical activity intervention will comprise of walking, Zumba, resistance exercise and aerobics sessions. Participants will take part in weekly sessions that are an hour long each. For every six months, the participants will alternate between walking, Zumba, resistance exercise and aerobics sessions until the end of intervention period.
No Intervention: Non-intervention control; Participants will not take part in any intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in cognitive scores	Changes in cognitive scores will be evaluated using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Possible scores range from 0-30. Higher scores indicate less cognitive impairment.	4 years
Changes in electroencephalogram (EEG)	Onset of neural responses to errors in the Go/No Go task will be evaluated using EEG.	4 years
Changes in structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)	Relationship between Wisconsin Card Sorting Test performance and grey matter volume will be evaluated using structural MRI.	4 years
Cost-benefit analysis of intervention	The economic benefits from the interventions will be evaluated and will cover three aspects: financial, productivity and health.	4 years
Changes in levels of human salivary lactoferrin	Changes in levels of human salivary lactoferrin (ng/mL) will be measured using salivary Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. Low levels of lactoferrin can potentially indicate higher risk for cognitive impairment.	4 years
Changes in levels of human salivary C-reactive proteins	Changes in levels of human salivary C-reactive proteins (CRP, mg/L) will be measured using salivary Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kits. High levels of CRP can indicate inflammation and its association with greater cognitive decline.	4 years
Changes in salivary telomere length	Changes in salivary telomere length (T/S ratio) will be measured using quantitative PCR. A higher T/S ratio indicates better preservation of telomere length hence better preservation of cognition.	4 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Changes in depression scores	Changes in depression scores will be measured using part of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Possible scores range from 0-42. Higher scores indicating greater frequency of depressive experiences.	4 years
Changes in anxiety scores	Changes in anxiety scores will be measured using part of the Form Y of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Possible scores range from 6-24. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.	4 years
Changes in body composition	Changes in body composition will be measured using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), including parameters such as body fat percentage, muscle mass and visceral fat composition.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years
Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI)	Changes in Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m²) will be evaluated using participants' height and body weight measurements.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years
Changes in blood pressure	Changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) will be measured using a standard blood pressure monitoring device.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years
Changes in falls risk	Changes in falls risk will be evaluated using the Falls Risk Assessment Tool (FRAT). Higher scores indicate greater risk of falls.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years
Changes in sarcopenia risk	Changes in sarcopenia risk will be evaluated using the SARC-F questionnaire. Higher scores indicate greater risk of sarcopenia.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years
Changes in frailty status	Changes in frailty status will be assessed using the Pictorial Fit-Frail Scale. Higher scores indicate greater frailty.	Throughout study participation, up to 4 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Sunway University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Yook Chin Chia Professor, Datin, Dr, MBBS, FRCP, Sunway University; Study Chair: Tin Tin Su, Monash University; Study Chair: Rozainee Khairudin, The National University of Malaysia; Study Chair: Nur Ain Shahrier, Sunway University; Study Chair: Audrey Wei Ling Lim, Sunway University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Erickson KI, Leckie RL, Weinstein AM. Physical activity, fitness, and gray matter volume. Neurobiol Aging. 2014 Sep;35 Suppl 2:S20-8. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.03.034. Epub 2014 May 14.
• Bogataj S, Mesaric KK, Pajek M, Petrusic T, Pajek J. Physical exercise and cognitive training interventions to improve cognition in hemodialysis patients: A systematic review. Front Public Health. 2022 Oct 14;10:1032076. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1032076. eCollection 2022.
• Murman DL. The Impact of Age on Cognition. Semin Hear. 2015 Aug;36(3):111-21. doi: 10.1055/s-0035-1555115.
• Ogawa T, Hirose Y, Honda-Ogawa M, Sugimoto M, Sasaki S, Kibi M, Kawabata S, Ikebe K, Maeda Y. Composition of salivary microbiota in elderly subjects. Sci Rep. 2018 Jan 11;8(1):414. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18677-0.
• Wells PM, Sprockett DD, Bowyer RCE, Kurushima Y, Relman DA, Williams FMK, Steves CJ. Influential factors of saliva microbiota composition. Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 7;12(1):18894. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-23266-x.
• Yong MH, Lawrie L, Schaefer A, Phillips LH. The Effects of Adult Aging and Culture on Theory of Mind. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2022 Feb 3;77(2):332-340. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbab093.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 20, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2030

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 3, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 18, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): April 19, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: MRI; Depression; Physical Activity; Anxiety; Cognition; EEG; Intervention; Neuroscience; Biological Markers; Biological Aging; Cost-benefit Analysis; Age-related Decline
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Behavioral Symptoms; Neurocognitive Disorders; Cognition Disorders; Behavior; Anxiety Disorders; Cognitive Dysfunction; Depression; Motor Activity; Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: LRGS/1/2019/SYUC/02/1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: No. However, limited access to data could be shared upon reasonable request.

Drug and device information, study documents

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