Occupational Impacts of Resistance Training in Older Adults

Occupational Impacts of Compound Resistance Training in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This study aims to assess the impact of compound resistance training on the ability of adults age 65 and older to participate in desired daily activities, their satisfaction with their level of participation, and their overall mental health.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Resistance Training; Older Adults (65 Years and Older)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Compound Resistance Training

Detailed Description

Eligible and consented participants will complete pre-assessment questionnaires: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Perceived Stress Scale-10, and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Participants will also engaged in a semi-structured interview with pre-set questions. Following pre-assessment, all data will be coded and stored in encrypted software through the university. Participants will then engage in a 10-week intervention period consisting of two 1-hour sessions strength training with principal investigator guiding participants for safety, form, intensity, and volume of exercises. Modifications will be made to exercise programming based on individual performance and individual needs, in accordance with occupational therapy best practices. Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) will be used as a guide for intensity with the aim being self-reported RPE 7-8 for each exercise. At completion of the intervention period, participants will complete post-assessment questionnaires: the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Perceived Stress Scale-10, and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Participants will also engaged in another semi-structured interview with pre-set questions. Data will be analyzed for statistical and clinically significant changes.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 6
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arkansas
    • Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72703
      • Washington Regional Center for Exercise

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult age 65 or older

  • Living independently in a community dwelling, such as a house or apartment
  • Able to complete basic daily tasks (i.e. dressing, toileting, transfers) without assistance from another person
  • Access to transportation to and from sessions for this study
  • Able to attend two, one-hour sessions per week for the duration of the study
  • Has a membership to Silver Sneakers, Silver and Fit, and/or Renew Active, or are willing to obtain a paid membership to Washington Regional Center for Exercise

Exclusion Criteria:

• · Personal history of stroke or heart attack

  • Limb amputation
  • Heart failure or arrythmias
  • Presence of brain or aortic aneurism
  • Active cancer
  • Major illness
  • Physical activity contraindicated as instructed by a physician
  • Active drug abuse
  • Moderate to severe cognitive impairment

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: Participants; Participants engaged in intervention	Other: Compound Resistance Training; Intervention will take place over the course of 10 weeks, with individual sessions occurring twice weekly for one hour per session with each participant. Each session will consist of personalized strength training sessions, utilizing programming with a focus on compound, multi-joint movements, in keeping with existing literature on the subject.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Canadian Occupational Performance Measure	Occupational therapy questionnaire Section 1: Performance Participants requested to report their perception of their performance of a given occupation/activity/daily task on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "unable to do it at all" and 10 being "able to do it with no issues at all". Section 2: Satisfaction Participants requested to reported their satisfaction with their currently level of performance with the previously reported occupation/activity/daily task on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "completely dissatisfied" and 10 being "completely satisfied". Higher scores on either or both sections indicate a better outcome.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Patient Health Questionnaire-9	Mental health questionnaire (depression screen) Participants asked to report the frequency of depression symptoms listed on form over the last 2 weeks using a scale from 0 to 3. Reporting 0 indicates "not at all", reporting 1 indicates "several days", reporting 2 indicates "more than half the days", reporting 3 indicates "nearly every day". Lower scores indicate a better outcome	Baseline and 10 weeks
Perceived Stress Scale-10	Mental health questionnaire (stress screen) Participants asked to report frequency of stress impacts on daily life by responding how many days in the past month the participant felt or thought a certain way. Answers are on a scale of 0-4. Reporting 0 indicates "never", reporting 1 indicates "almost never", reporting 2 indicates "sometimes", reporting 3 indicates "fairly often", and reporting 4 indicates "very often". Lower scores indicate better results.	Baseline and 10 weeks
Reported perceptions of exercise, self-confidence, and confidence in gym environment	Qualitative data: word associations, open responses, takeaways from study. Thematic analysis and coding for frequency of themes	baseline and 10 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Arkansas
• Collaborators: Washington Regional Medical Center
• Investigators: Study Chair: Jennifer Muriithi, OTD, University of Arkansas

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 18, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 14, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 21, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 3, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): January 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 7, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 27, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 298900

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: All collected IPD (coded)
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Start date 12/3/2025 end date 12/3/2030 or at time of acceptance for publication, whichever comes first
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Dr. Jennifer Muriithi, faculty capstone mentor at university where student is affiliated
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF; ANALYTIC_CODE; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

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