Exercise Training to Improve PTSD Symptoms and Health in Older Veterans

VA Office of Research and Development

Status

Completed

Conditions

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Treatments

Behavioral: Exercise Training

Other: Healthy Aging Attention Control (HA-ATC)

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04199182

RX003120 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

E3120-R

Details and patient eligibility

About

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among military Veterans and is more than just a psychological condition; PTSD has profound negative impacts on health, function, and quality of life. Older Veterans are the largest patient population served by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and many have lived with PTSD for 40+ years. Veterans with PTSD engage in low levels of physical activity and spend much of their time in sedentary activities, adding to their risk of physical disability. The benefits of exercise on mental health and physical well-being in older adults are well-substantiated, but the effects of exercise training on late-life PTSD symptoms is a new area of study. This study is designed to examine the effects of 6 months of supervised exercise training on PTSD symptoms and PTSD-related conditions (e.g., functional impairment, sleep) in 188 older Veterans with PTSD.

Enrollment

80 patients

Sex

All

Ages

65+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Veteran status
registered for care at Durham VA Health Care System (VAHCS)
live within 50 miles of fitness facility
meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD as assessed by the CAPS-5

Exclusion criteria

history of any psychiatric disorder with severe psychotic features in the past 5 years (e.g., bipolar disorder, mania), as indicated by ICD-10 codes F20-F29 (ICD-9 category 298.9)
prominent suicidal ideation or hospitalization for suicidality in the previous 6 months
clinically significant: neurological disorder, systemic illness affecting central nervous system (CNS) function, or history of seizure disorder in the past 5 years
uncontrolled diabetes defined as:
- Abnormal fasting plasma glucose 126 mg/dL, random plasma glucose 200 mg/dL
- no active medications for diabetes management (Metformin, insulin, etc.)
- no clinical notes in the patient's electronic health record (EHR) indicating monitoring by primary care physician (PCP) or Endo for diabetes management)
- end stage liver disease or currently receiving dialysis
- physical disabilities precluding use of exercise equipment (assistive mobility devices acceptable)
- significant cognitive impairment or diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia
- hospitalization or ER visit in the past 6 months for conditions contraindicated for exercise (cardiac event; physical trauma)