About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to promote positive views on aging and walking in Spanish partners aged 65 years and over. The trial will comprise three arms. In the first arm, both partners will undertake the intervention together. In the second arm, only one of the two partners will undertake the intervention. In the third arm (control) none of the partners will undertake the intervention. Collection of quantitative data will make it possible to test the following hypotheses:
1. Differently from arm three, those participants from arms one and two who undertake the intervention will experience changes in primary and secondary intervention outcomes between pre- and post-intervention and these changes will be maintained at follow-ups. 2. Compared to delivering the intervention to only one partner, delivering it to both partners will lead to a greater and more lasting change in primary and secondary intervention outcomes. 3. In the group where only one partner will undertake the intervention, their change in intervention outcomes is observed at least to a small extent in the other partner.
Qualitative data collected at the end of the intervention through interviews of ten couples from each of arms one and two will make it possible to test three additional research questions:
1. How do participants in Group one engage with the intervention tasks, and to what extent do they undertake these tasks jointly as a couple? 2. In what ways do participants in Group two involve their non-participating partner in the intervention activities? 3. What changes do participants in Groups one and two report in their views of themselves and their aging, as well as in their perceptions of and interactions with their partner?
Participants will undertake a multicomponent intervention comprising:
* Three in-person psychoeducational sessions aiming to promote positive views on aging, including positive self-perceptions of aging, and accurate facts about aging * Independent walking for 12 weeks Primary intervention outcomes are changes in participants' self-perceptions of aging and physical activity engagement. Secondary intervention outcomes are changes in ageism, subjective views of couple's joint aging, perceived age-related changes in one's partner, mood, physical fitness, and cognitive functioning.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
living in the community in Barcelona or nearby areas;
both partners being aged ≥ 65 years;
speaking fluent Catalan or Spanish;
being married, having a partner with whom they co-habit, or having had a partner for at least one year and with whom they meet at least twice a week;
Disqualifiers
having a self-reported or clinically diagnosed neurodegenerative disorder, and/or an Adult Lifestyles and Function Interview Mini Mental State Examination (ALFI-MMSE) score of < 15 out of 22, indicating mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The research team has considerable experience with the administration of the MMSE and will adjust scores for individuals with low cultural background;
currently having a clinical diagnosis of mental health disorder that significantly impacts on the daily functioning of the individual (i.e., a diagnosis that significantly impacts the participants ability to work, do house chores, and/or engage socially);
current substance use disorder (alcohol or drug abuse), or a history of substance abuse within the past five years that may interfere with study participation or adherence to the intervention;
having a physical condition or physical limitations that impair from starting a physical activity intervention consisting in walking between three to five times per week and to do some physical tasks such as stand up from and sit down on a chair and back scratch;
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Views on Aging Intervention
- Projecte Moviment
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
University of Barcelona
Lead sponsor
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart
Collaborator
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Rennes
Collaborator
University of Padova
Collaborator
University of Kaiserslautern-Landau
Collaborator
Flinders University
Collaborator
University of Greifswald
Collaborator
Federico II University
Collaborator
North Carolina State University
Collaborator
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Collaborator