Comparing Exergaming and Usual Care Physical Therapy in Nursing Home Residents

Physical Function in Older Adults: Exergaming vs. Usual Care in Physical Therapy - A Randomized Controlled Trial

The objective of this clinical trial is to compare the effects of exergaming and usual care physical therapy on physical function in older adults residing in nursing homes.

This trial seeks to answer the following key questions:

• Does physical function differ between interventions after treatment?
• How do these interventions impact enjoyment of therapy?
• Are there differences in adherence or perceived exertion between the interventions?

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Older Adults Institutionalized in Residential Homes
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Exergaming; Other: Usual physical therapy care

Detailed Description

A single-blind, randomized controlled trial will be conducted to compare exergaming and usual care interventions. Participants will be recruited from nursing homes in the province of Toledo, and the study will follow the CONSORT guidelines for clinical, crossover, and parallel trials.

Two experimental groups will be tested, with interventions performed three days per week for six weeks, each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. The exergaming group will play seven video games from the Party Fowl app, while the usual care group will continue their standard exercise routine.

Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, post-intervention (6 weeks), and at a 3-month follow-up to evaluate the middle-term effects of both interventions.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 78
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Toledo
    • Añover de Tajo, Toledo, Spain, 45250
      • Residencia de Mayores VIVENS
    • Fuensalida, Toledo, Spain, 45510
      • Nueva Esperanza Nursing Home
    • Magán, Toledo, Spain, 45590
      • Residencia Maranatha
    • Manzaneque, Toledo, Spain, 45460
      • Residencial Montes de Toledo
    • Toledo, Toledo, Spain, 45071
      • Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• subjects over 60 years of age
• score equal to or greater than 20 on the Mini Mental cognitive test
• Subjects that present the ability to stand without the use of technical aids or with the technical assistance of a device used for walking.

Exclusion Criteria:

• severe visual impairment
• medical contraindication for physical activity
• pathology or problem that could prevent the test from being carried out.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exergaming; This group will perform approximately 28 minutes of exergaming 3 times a week for 6 weeks	Other: Exergaming; Exergaming: Participants will perform different exercises through videogames
Active Comparator: Usual physical therapy care; This group will perform their usual care exercises treatments for approximately 28 minutes for 3 times a week for 6 weeks	Other: Usual physical therapy care; Usual care: Different exercises will be performed

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Physical function	Physical function will be assessed using the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)	Baseline, post-intervention (6 weeks) and 3 months follow-up.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hand grip strength	Hand grip strength will be assessed using a hand dynamometer.	Baseline, post-intervention (6 weeks) and 3 months follow-up.
Exercise enjoyment	This outcome will be measured Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES). Higher values indicate higher perceived satisfaction/ enjoyment.	Post-intervention (6 weeks)
Rate of Perceived Exertion	Rate of perceived exertion will be measured using Borg (RPE 1-10). Higher values indicate higher levels of perceived exertion	RPE will be measured inmediatley after the intervention
Adherence	Adherence will be measured by the percentage of sessions attended of each participant.	Through study completion (6 weeks), with a final adherence percentage calculated at the end of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Castilla-La Mancha

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 5, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 19, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 20, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 30, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena; Exercise; Exergaming
• Other Study ID Numbers: HBA-02

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED
• IPD Plan Description: Data will be provided to other researchers if asked to the principal investigator

Drug and device information, study documents

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