A volunteer-supported walking programme to improve physical function in older people with restricted mobility (the POWER Study): a randomised controlled trial
Background Regular physical activity has multiple health benefits, especially in older people. Therefore, the World Health Organization recommends at least 2.5 h of moderate physical activity per week. The aim of the POWER Study was to investigate whether volunteer-assisted walking improves the ph...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Philipps-Universität Marburg
2024
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | PDF Full Text |
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| Summary: | Background Regular physical activity has multiple health benefits, especially in older people. Therefore, the World
Health Organization recommends at least 2.5 h of moderate physical activity per week. The aim of the POWER Study
was to investigate whether volunteer-assisted walking improves the physical performance and health of older people.
Methods We approached people aged 65 years and older with restricted mobility due to physical limitations
and asked them to participate in this multicentre randomised controlled trial. The recruitment took place in nursing
homes and the community setting. Participants randomly assigned to the intervention group were accompanied
by volunteer companions for a 30–50 min walk up to three times a week for 6 months. Participants in the control
group received two lectures that included health-related topics. The primary endpoint was physical function as measured
with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) at baseline and 6 and 12 months. The secondary and safety
endpoints were quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), fear of falling (Falls Efficacy Scale), cognitive executive function (the Clock
Drawing Test), falls, hospitalisations and death.
Results The sample comprised 224 participants (79% female). We failed to show superiority of the intervention
with regard to physical function (SPPB) or other health outcomes in the intention-to-treat analyses. However, additional
exploratory analyses suggest benefits in those who undertook regular walks. The intervention appears to be
safe regarding falls.
Conclusions Regular physical activity is essential to preserve function and to improve health and quality of life.
Against the background of a smaller-than-planned sample size, resulting in low power, and the interference
of the COVID-19 pandemic, we suggest that community based low-threshold interventions deserve further
exploration.
Trial registration The trial was registered with the German Clinical Trials Register (www. germa nctr. de), with number
DRKS00015188 on 31/08/2018. |
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| Item Description: | Gefördert durch den Open-Access-Publikationsfonds der UB Marburg. |
| Physical Description: | 10 Pages |
| DOI: | 10.1186/s12877-024-04672-4 |