Home-based Exercise for SMI

VA Office of Research and Development

Status

Withdrawn

Conditions

Serious Mental Illness

Treatments

Behavioral: Home-based Exercise Program

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT06078293

E5010-W

RX005010 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Older Veterans with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder) have reduced physical function (endurance, strength, mobility) that leads to lower quality of life. Exercise interventions are effective at improving physical function and could have a tremendous impact on this population. Despite the established benefits of exercise, there has been little work focused on improving multiple aspects of physical function in older Veterans with serious mental illness. The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based exercise program for older Veterans with serious mental illness.

Full description

Older Veterans with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder) have significantly compromised physical function that leads to heightened rates of falls, hospitalizations, nursing home admissions, as well as early mortality. In fact, this population's physical function is compromised across multiple domains including mobility, endurance, and strength. Exercise is effective for increasing all domains of physical function (i.e., mobility, endurance, strength) in older Veterans. But, environmental difficulties (e.g., lack of transportation), low motivation, and medical issues affecting older Veterans with serious mental illness contribute to low engagement rates and high dropout rates in facility-based exercise programs. Individualized home-based exercise programs, which are safe and effective for older Veterans with health challenges, could address the main barriers to exercise in older Veterans with serious mental illness by promoting greater accessibility and individual tailoring. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a 12-week home-based exercise program for older Veterans with serious mental illness.

Sex

All

Ages

50+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Veteran enrolled at Providence VAHCS
age 50 or older
chart diagnosis of SMI (i.e., schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder)
clinically stable defined as no inpatient psychiatric admission in the prior three months and no changes in psychiatric treatment in prior month
medically safe to participate in exercise defined by no inpatient medical admission in prior three months and sign-off by Veteran's medical provider

Exclusion criteria

diagnosis of Alzheimer's or related dementia
presence of any medical contraindication for exercise including unstable angina, active proliferative diabetic retinopathy, oxygen dependence, or frank incontinence
already participating in regular exercise defined as at least 60 minutes/week every week for prior six months or currently enrolled in a VA exercise or health promotion program