View clinical trials related to Physical Function.
Filter by:This placebo-controlled RCT tests whether dietary supplementation with curcumin maintains or improves cognitive and physical function in older adults who are at high risk of functional decline due existing (mild) functional impairments and elevated biomarkers of inflammation and explore the association between functional changes and changes in biological indicators of active inflammation.
Anticholinergic and sedative drugs are frequently prescribed to older people, despite their negative impact on older people's physical and cognitive function. To estimate the cumulative exposure to anticholinergic and sedative drugs, Hilmer et al. published the Drug Burden Index (DBI) in 2007. The present study aims to complement previous study findings showing higher DBI values to be associated with physical and cognitive impairment. Most previously conducted studies of the DBI were either cross-sectional or were longitudinal but with short follow-ups. Furthermore, it remains unknown whether higher DBI values carry extra risks for patients with dementia. Finally, relatively little is known about the stability of DBI values over time. The current project therefore aims to examine (1) longitudinal relationships between long-term cumulative exposure to anticholinergic and sedative drugs as measured with the DBI and cognitive and physical function, (2) to examine interaction effects between DBI exposure and dementia, and (3) to examine trajectories of DBI exposure, i.e. DBI exposure remaining stable, declining, increasing or fluctuating over time. These project aims will be studied with longitudinal data from eligible participants > 60 years from the LASA study with participants being followed-up during two decades, and the longitudinal data from the InterRAI consortium. Various clinical outcomes regarding cognitive and physical function will be studied. Data will be analysed with generalised linear mixed models and Latent Class Growth Analysis.
The increase of the elderly population leads to increased prevalence of frailty, risk for poor health outcomes, and related health and social care costs. Lack of physical activity (PA) and established sedentary behaviours (SB) constitute an additional burden, as they are related to progression of chronic disease and disabling conditions. An existing initiative to battle SB and insufficient PA levels are exercise referral schemes (ERS) implemented in primary care, where insufficiently active individuals are referred to a third party service (sports centre or leisure facility) that prescribes and monitors an exercise programme tailored to the patients' needs. ERS had shown improvements in PA in the short-term, but may have limited power to change SB and produce long-term effects. Thus, ERS might be enhanced by self-management strategies (SMS) to promote behavioural change. Such strategies based on social cognitive theory have been shown to increase self-confidence, power to act, and involvement in exercise. In a first stage, a systematic review, focus groups and a feasibility study will be conducted. Then, a three-armed pragmatic randomized controlled trial (RCT) will assess the long-term effectiveness (18-month follow-up) of a complex intervention on sedentary behaviour (SB) in an elderly population, based on existing ERS enhanced by self-management strategies (SMS). It will be compared to ERS alone and to general recommendations plus two educational sessions. The RCT will include 1338 subjects and will have a follow up of 18 months. The effect on SB will be measured as sitting time and the number of minutes spent in activities requiring ≤ 1.5 Metabolic Equivalent Tasks, and PA as daily counts per minute and intensity of exercise, and daily step counts. Secondary outcomes will include: physical function, healthcare use and costs, anthropometry, bioimpedance, blood pressure, self-rated health and quality of life, activities of daily living, anxiety, depressive symptoms, social network, physical activity self-regulation, self-efficacy for exercise, disability, fear of falling, loneliness, executive function, and physical fatigue. In a subsample, the level of frailty-associated biomarkers and inflammation, and sarcopenia-associated markers of muscle quality will be analysed. A process evaluation will be performed throughout the trial. SITLESS will assess policy makers in deciding how or whether ERS should be further implemented or restructured in order to increase its adherence, efficacy and cost-effectiveness.
Resveratrol, a compound found in red wine and dark-skinned grapes, will improve the function of mitochondria (energy producing components) within the leg muscles of moderate functioning older adults. The investigators will look at the role Resveratrol plays in improving physical function by studying the connection of changes in mitochondrial function and changes in physical function.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the possible mechanisms underlying music-based multitask training (i.e., Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics) in older people, compared to multicomponent exercise training. This study is designed as a 12-month, prospective, single-centre, single-blind, 2-arm, parallel group, randomized controlled trial in which 140 community-dwelling older adults at high risk of falls are randomly assigned to receive either a music-based multitask training intervention (i.e., Jaques-Dalcroze eurhythmics) or a multicomponent exercise training intervention, for 12 months. A 12-month follow-up is planned with outcome measures assessed at three time points: baseline (before intervention initiation), 6-month (intervention mid-point), and 12-month (intervention termination). Outcomes of interest include physical and cognitive performances, and falls. In addition, the investigators specifically address brain circuits in an exploratory sub-study. Volunteer trial participants from both study arms are invited to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at baseline and 12-month.
Obesity is associated with physical disability through both direct pathways (e.g., lower extremity pain, insufficient muscle strength) and indirect pathways (obesity-related comorbidities and inflammation). Furthermore, diabetes, a major obesity-related health condition, is associated with increased risk of disability and accelerated declines in physical and cognitive function. The investigators preliminary data suggest that intentional weight loss improves physical function, and there is strong circumstantial evidence that it would also benefit cognitive function. To evaluate the role of intentional weight loss on physical and cognitive function, the investigators propose an ancillary study to the on-going Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial. Look AHEAD is a multi-center, randomized clinical trial to examine the effects of a 4-year lifestyle intervention designed to achieve and maintain weight loss through decreased caloric intake and exercise in overweight or obese men and women aged 45-74 years with type 2 diabetes. The investigators propose to add validated and well-established measures of physical and cognitive performance to the year 8 follow-up visit - during the trial's weight maintenance phase - in ~1000 participants at 4 of the 16 Look AHEAD field sites (Colorado, Memphis, Pennington and Pittsburgh). The specific aims of this ancillary study are: 1) To determine the long-term effects of a lifestyle intervention designed to achieve and maintain weight loss on physical function; and 2) To determine the long-term effects of a lifestyle intervention designed to achieve and maintain weight loss on cognitive function. In addition, the investigators hypothesize that in the intervention group, larger initial weight loss, better weight loss maintenance, and higher physical activity will be associated with better physical and cognitive function. The investigators also hypothesize that in the control group weight loss will be associated with worse physical and cognitive function than in those who are weight stable or who have gained weight. The number of obese older adults is rising rapidly and there are few data to guide an evidence-based clinical response to their management. The results of this study will provide the first direct evidence of the role of long-term intentional weight loss on the maintenance of physical and cognitive function in older obese adults with diabetes. Since this study is being done as an ancillary study to an on-going trial it can be done in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
The primary purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the current resistance training guidelines for older adults proposed by ACSM/AHA to improve physical function in individuals with reduced physical abilities. A randomized controlled intervention trial will be used to compare change in physical function pre- and post-intervention between a treatment group receiving the minimum recommendations of the guidelines and a control group asked not to change their physical activity participation. To better understand the clinical significance of such an occurrence, a secondary purpose was to determine if older adults with reduced physical abilities who adhere to the recommended intervention dosage will experience a change such that they can be reclassified to a more favorable level of functioning. It is hypothesized that the minimum recommended dosage of the guidelines would be sufficient to both improve physical function and improve functional classification in older adults with reduced physical abilities.
A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin D status is important in biologic processes involved in the maintenance of physical function. To advance the investigators understanding of the role of vitamin D in physical function, the investigators will conduct a feasibility pilot study to collect key information to help design a full-scale randomized trial to determine whether vitamin D supplementation will delay declines in physical function. The primary goals of the pilot study are to determine cost-effective strategies for identifying persons at high risk for functional decline with insufficient vitamin D levels, determine the serum vitamin D response to a vitamin D supplementation regimen designed to attain sufficient vitamin D levels, and provide preliminary data of key functional measures (balance, physical performance and muscle power) for the future larger study design. A secondary goal is to begin to examine potential mechanisms by which vitamin D supplementation may enhance physical performance by exploring the effects of vitamin D supplementation on changes in skeletal muscle gene expression.
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Lichtenstein's hernioplasty using Infinit® PTFE Mesh, and to compare it with the traditional Lichtenstein procedure performed with polypropylene mesh.
The broad aim is to determine efficacy of a weight loss diet higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate combined with low intensity exercise to favorably impact body composition, bone health, physical function, metabolic disease and quality of life compared to a conventional higher carbohydrate diet in overweight women over age 60.