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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05388227

Pole Walking Intervention in Retirement Communities

This patient-oriented, multi-site study aims to co-design and test a pole walking program with resident and staff representatives from participating independent living and retirement communities.

The first part of the study (feasibility phase) is a single-group trial designed to answer the main question: Is the pole walking program feasible in these settings? In this phase, all participants will take part in the program.

The second part of the study (pilot phase) is a two-group randomized trial that will assess whether the program helps improve physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, while also reducing sedentary time (time spent sitting or being inactive) in older adults living in independent living and retirement communities. Communities will be randomly assigned to either start the program right away or join a wait-list control group.

The program will include supervised group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes each session, over a 12-week period. Sessions will take place outdoors when possible, or indoors if the weather is not suitable.

After follow-up assessments are complete, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their communities.

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Key information

Conditions

Fall Injury Fractures, Bone Osteoporotic Fractures Wounds and Injuries

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Saija Kontulainen, University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 1G9, Canada

About this study

Pole walking provides an attractive form of exercise therapy for older adults. It is a simple, well-tolerated, and effective means to improve overall functional fitness in older adults. Pole walking has improved upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility in community-dwelling older adults. It has been positively associated with balance, functional mobility, muscle strength, and aerobic exercise capacity in older adults. Pole walking is considered to offer a safe format for walking, as poles provide support and help with balance, and thus contribute to confidence in being active. However, there has not yet been a study assessing the feasibility and efficacy of a pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities.

This patient-oriented, multi-site study consists of a feasibility and a pilot phase. The feasibility phase is a single-arm trial that will assess the feasibility and safety of implementing a pole walking intervention within independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, all participants will receive the intervention. The pilot phase is a two-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial that will assess the efficacy of the pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, our target is to include 50 residents from independent living/retirement communities. Sites will be randomized to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit). After completing follow-up assessments, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their sites.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being an ambulatory resident in the independent living/retirement communities.
  • Pass the Get Active Questionnaire. If the participant has heart conditions, angina during daily living, balance, and bone or joint problems, then a Physician Clearance Form is required to be filled out and signed by the participant's family physician.

Exclusion criteria

  • Using assistive devices for mobility.
  • Being active (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ≥150 min/week).
  • Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Treatment and study plan

Pole walking

Other

The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit).

Primary outcomes

  1. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - consent rate

    Time frame: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

    Assessed by calculating consent rate (%) as the percentage of participants assessed for eligibility who consented.

  2. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - recruitment rate

    Time frame: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

    Assessed by calculating recruitment rate (participant/site/month) as the number of potentially eligible participants who consented divided by the number of recruiting sites and then divided by the number of months spent on recruitment.

  3. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - retention rate

    Time frame: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

    Assessed by calculating retention rate (%) as the percentage of eligible participants enrolled in the study who received the allocated intervention and completed both baseline and follow-up assessments.

  4. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - attendance rate

    Time frame: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

    Assessed by calculating attendance rate (%) as the percentage of available intervention sessions attended by each participant.

  5. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention acceptability score

    Time frame: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

    Assessed by calculating intervention acceptability score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention acceptability measure.

  6. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention appropriateness score

    Time frame: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

    Assessed by calculating intervention appropriateness score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater appropriateness of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention appropriateness measure.

  7. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention feasibility score

    Time frame: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

    Assessed by calculating intervention feasibility score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater feasibility of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention feasibility measure.

  8. Physical function - functional balance/mobility

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the timed "up & go" test.

  9. Physical function - lower-body strength

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the 30-s chair stand test.

  10. Health-related quality of life

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the 36-item short form survey, which provides a score ranging from 0-100 for each of its 8 scales (the higher the scale scores, the more favorable the corresponding health states).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety of pole walking intervention

    Time frame: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

    Assessed by the seriousness and relatedness to the intervention of recorded adverse events.

  2. Physical function - functional capacity

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the 6-min walk test.

  3. Physical function - upper-body strength

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the grip strength test.

  4. Physical activity/sedentary time

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by 7-day accelerometry.

  5. Fear of falling

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the 10-item falls efficacy scale, which provides a total score ranging from 10-100, with higher scores suggesting greater fear of falling.

  6. Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the lower leg

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

  7. Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the forearm

    Time frame: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Other outcomes

  1. Body composition - areal bone mineral density at the hip

    Time frame: Baseline assessment sessions (before the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

  2. Body composition - areal bone mineral density at the lumbar spine

    Time frame: Baseline assessment sessions (before the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

    Assessed by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Saskatchewan

Other

Collaborators

  • Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research
  • Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

Pole Walking Intervention Within Independent Living/Retirement Communities: Feasibility and Pilot

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
May 24, 2022
Registry last updated
Apr 29, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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