Effects of Dual-task Exercises on Gait Parameters and Cognitive Function in Elderly Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Federal University of Minas Gerais

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Other: Aerobic training; Other: dual -task exercises

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02185157

ECAGGOMESUFMG -001

CAAE 0448.0.203.000-11 (Registry Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The training of a secondary task while walking, whether it is reasoning activities, memory or motor tasks, may enhance automation, walking performance, and postural control and, thus, minimize the risk of falls influenced by the walking patterns variability. However, the literature is scarce regarding the influence of dual-task training on changes in gait parameters.

The purpose of this prospective, blinded randomized controlled trial is to compare the short- and long-term effects of dual-task and aerobic training on gait stride variability and superior cerebral functions of independent community-dwelling elderly women.

The participants will be randomly allocated into either experimental or control groups.The experimental group will undertake 50 minutes/day of dual-task training, three times/week over 12 weeks, totaling 36 sessions, whereas the control group will receive the same doses of aerobic training. At baseline, after 18 and 36 sessions, and 12 weeks after the cessation of the interventions, researchers blinded to group allocations will collect the outcome measures.The interventions will be delivered by trained physical therapists.

Primary outcome will include gait stride variability, which will be assessed by a movement analysis system: the GaitRite® system, during cognitive and motor dual-tasks, at both normal and fast speeds. Secondary outcome measures will include a battery of global and specific cognitive function tests.

The findings of this trial may help better understand whether cognitive-motor interventions with older adults, when compared to traditional aerobic training, would result in greater improvements in gait under dual-task conditions and lead to improvements in cognitive tasks. Furthermore, the findings could potentially bring important insights regarding the impacts of improvements in walking abilities and cognition.

Full description

Socially speaking, the findings could potentially bring important insights regarding the impacts of improvements in walking abilities and cognition. If the elderly maintain safe gait patterns that prevent falls, they could reach self-sustained community participation and consequently reduce the burden of care on the family and caregivers. Additionally, the public health system may ultimately receive important positive economic and social impacts. This clinical trial may be reproduced in research and clinical practice environments.

Enrollment: 68 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 69 to 79 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Elderly women will be eligible if they are between 69 and 79 years of age, have at least three years of schooling,have no cognitive deficits, as determined by the scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination, adjusted for their education levels: ≥23 for three years, ≥25 for four to seven years, and ≥26 for eight or more years of school.

Exclusion criteria

• Participants will be excluded if they have neuromusculoskeletal diseases,which could restrain physical activities or make use of medications, which could interfere with motor performance and/or memory.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Triple Blind

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68 participants in 2 patient groups

Experimental: Dual Task exercises

Experimental group

Description:

Dual-task training, includes 18 sessions model of cognitive and 12 motor dual-task exercises model, were administered in groups of four participants in a comfortable environment, without distraction effects. The 50-minute sessions included 30 minutes of motor dual-task exercises, and then, the participants were divided into pairs. The first pair performed free walks during 10 minutes at their maximal speeds, while the other received individual cognitive dual-task training for the same time, and these activities will be exchanged, so that all pairs could walk and receive cognitive training.

Treatment:

Other: dual -task exercises

Control intervention: Aerobic training

Other group

Description:

The same doses of aerobic training, i.e., 50 minutes, was delivered in groups of five participants. Each session will include 10 minutes of warm-up, 30 minutes of aerobic training on an ergometric bicycle at 60 to 80% of the participants' maximum heart rates,and 10 minutes of cool-down exercises.

Treatment:

Other: Aerobic training