Trajectories for Active and Healthy Aging

University of Roma La Sapienza

Status: Completed

Conditions: Older Adults (65 Years and Older); Healthy; Physical Activity; Virtual Reality

Treatments: Behavioral: Standard Physical Activity with motivational stimuli; Behavioral: Standard Physical Activity without motivational stimuli; Behavioral: VR-based physical activity without motivational stimuli; Behavioral: VR-based physical activity with motivational stimuli

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06939621

CERT_1908372DCC2

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of the present study is to identify which psychological and motivational factors can help foster Virtual Reality (VR)-based interventions. Specifically, the main question is:

• Does the combination of VR-based interventions and motivational messages grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) impact older adults' motivation for physical activity and their physiological indicators related to exercise? Older adults will participate to a 4 week intervention where they have ti engage in a physical activity program under different conditions: with and without VR, with and with out motivational messages.

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• over 65 years old
• to be fluent in Italian
• to have an informant familiar with their daily functioning
• needed to be available for the full duration of the study
• to be free from a history of severe psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder), nervous system infections or disorders (e.g., epilepsy, brain tumor, large-vessel stroke, major head trauma), or current metabolic or systemic conditions (e.g., B12 deficiency, renal failure, cancer)

Exclusion criteria

• severe sensory or motor impairments that would hinder task performance (e.g., blindness, total hearing loss, severe upper extremity deformities or paralysis)
• susceptibility to motion sickness (as confirmed by the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire)
• intellectual disability (as assessed by the MMSE).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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60 participants in 4 patient groups

Experimental Group 1: VR-based intervention with motivational messages

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive a VR-based physical exercise intervention featuring a virtual coach (an older adult peer) who provides both instructions and motivational messages based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT) during the session.

Treatment:

Behavioral: VR-based physical activity with motivational stimuli

Experimental Group 2: VR-based intervention without motivational messages

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will receive a VR-based physical exercise intervention featuring a virtual coach (an older adult peer) who provides both instructions and informative messages during the session.

Treatment:

Behavioral: VR-based physical activity without motivational stimuli

Control Group 1: standard physical activity intervention with motivational messages

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will take part in a standard physical activity intervention led by a real coach who provides both instructions and motivational messages based on SDT.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standard Physical Activity with motivational stimuli

Control Group 2: standard physical activity intervention without motivational messages

Active Comparator group

Description:

Participants will take part in a standard physical activity intervention led by a real coach who provides both instructions and informative messages.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standard Physical Activity without motivational stimuli