INDIVIDUALIZED DUAL-TASK TRAINING FOR BALANCE AND MOBILITY IN OLDER ADULTS

April 29, 2026 updated by: Sezen Karaborklu Argut

EFFECTS OF SENSORİAL AND COGNİTİVE INDİVİDUALİZED DUAL-TASK TRAİNİNG ON FUNCTİONAL BALANCE, MOBİLİTY, AND DUAL-TASK PERFORMANCE İN OLDER ADULTS: A RANDOMİZED CONTROLLED TRİAL

The goal of this clinical trial is to prevent functional decline and improve mobility in healthy older adults aged 65 and over. The main questions it aims to answer are:

What is the effect of individualized dual-task training on functional balance and mobility compared to standard training? Does personalized sensory and cognitive training significantly reduce the dual-task cost during walking tasks? Researchers will compare the Individualized Dual-Task Group to a Standardized Dual-Task Group and a Single-Task Control Group to see if personalized adjustments in sensory and cognitive loads lead to superior improvements in balance, gait speed, and motor-cognitive interference.

Participants will:

Complete an initial assessment of motor and cognitive capacities to determine individual baseline levels.

Participate in a supervised exercise program 3 days a week for 8 weeks, with each session lasting 40-45 minutes.

Perform motor tasks such as walking, obstacle crossing, and balance exercises while simultaneously engaging in cognitive tasks (e.g., counting, verbal fluency).

(For the individualized group) Undergo weekly adjustments in exercise difficulty, including sensory manipulations like surface changes and head movements based on their performance.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

48

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Istanbul
      • Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34500
        • Recruiting
        • Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Faculty of Health Sciences

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 65 years and older.
  • Living independently in the community.
  • Ability to walk at least 10 meters without the use of an assistive device (e.g., cane, walker).
  • Cognitively intact, defined as a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 24 or higher.
  • Stable medical condition allowing for participation in an 8-week exercise program.
  • Willingness to participate in the study and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of neurological disorders affecting movement or cognition (e.g., Stroke, Parkinson's Disease, Dementia).
  • Acute or chronic orthopedic conditions that severely limit gait or balance (e.g., recent lower limb fracture or major joint replacement within the last 6 months).
  • Severe visual or hearing impairment that prevents following instructions or performing tasks.
  • Uncontrolled cardiovascular or pulmonary disease.
  • Currently participating in another structured exercise or dual-task training program.
  • Inability to commit to the 8-week training schedule.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Individualized Dual-Task Group
Participants will receive individualized cognitive-motor dual-task training 3 days a week for 8 weeks. Exercises are adjusted weekly based on individual performance levels.
Behavioral: Individualized Dual-Task Training
An 8-week, supervised exercise program (3 sessions/week, 40-45 min). Training involves simultaneous motor (walking, balance, obstacle crossing) and cognitive tasks (counting, verbal fluency). The cognitive and sensory loads are adjusted weekly based on the participant's performance (Borg Scale and task accuracy) to maintain an optimal challenge level.
Active Comparator: Standardized Dual-Task Group
Participants will receive a standard (fixed-progression) dual-task training program 3 days a week for 8 weeks.
Behavioral: Standardized Dual-Task Training
An 8-week, supervised dual-task exercise program (3 sessions/week, 40-45 min). Participants perform the same motor and cognitive tasks as the individualized group, but the progression of difficulty is fixed and follows a pre-determined schedule regardless of individual performance changes.
Other: Single-Task Control Group
Participants will perform single motor tasks (walking or balance exercises only) without simultaneous cognitive tasks for the same duration.
Behavioral: Single-Task Motor Training
An 8-week program (3 sessions/week, 40-45 min) consisting only of motor exercises such as walking and balance tasks. No simultaneous cognitive tasks or sensory manipulations are provided during the training sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dual-Task Cost (DTC) of Functional Mobility
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
Dual-Task Cost (DTC) will be calculated based on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test performance. DTC represents the percentage change in TUG time during a cognitive-motor dual-task condition (e.g., walking while counting backwards) compared to a single-task condition (walking only). The formula is: DTC = [(Dual-Task Time - Single-Task Time) / Single-Task Time] X 100. A higher percentage indicates greater interference and poorer dual-task performance.
Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Berg Balance Scale (BBS)
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
A 14-item objective measure used to assess static balance and fall risk in adult populations. Each item is scored on a 5-point scale ranging from 0 to 4. Total scores range from 0 to 56, where higher scores indicate better balance and functional mobility.
Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT)
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
Used to assess walking speed in meters per second (m/s) over a 10-meter distance. Faster times (higher m/s) indicate better functional mobility and gait performance.
Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
A 16-item self-report questionnaire used to assess the level of concern about falling during social and physical activities. Scores range from 16 to 64. Higher scores indicate a greater fear of falling.
Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.
A brief screening tool used to assess general cognitive functions, including executive functions, memory, and attention. Total scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate better cognitive function.
Baseline and at the end of the 8-week intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sezen Karaborklu Argut

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sezen Karabörklü Argut, PhD, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Faculty of Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

April 29, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ebrrwlMU

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be made available to other researchers at this time to protect participant privacy and maintain data confidentiality according to the initial ethical approval.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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