Reframing Expectations About Aging - Physical Activity and Inclusive Reappraisal

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to promote positive views on aging and walking in Spanish partners aged 65 years and over. The trial will comprise three arms. In the first arm, both partners will undertake the intervention together. In the second arm, only one of the two partners will undertake the intervention. In the third arm (control) none of the partners will undertake the intervention. Collection of quantitative data will make it possible to test the following hypotheses:

1. Differently from arm three, those participants from arms one and two who undertake the intervention will experience changes in primary and secondary intervention outcomes between pre- and post-intervention and these changes will be maintained at follow-ups.
2. Compared to delivering the intervention to only one partner, delivering it to both partners will lead to a greater and more lasting change in primary and secondary intervention outcomes.
3. In the group where only one partner will undertake the intervention, their change in intervention outcomes is observed at least to a small extent in the other partner.

Qualitative data collected at the end of the intervention through interviews of ten couples from each of arms one and two will make it possible to test three additional research questions:

1. How do participants in Group one engage with the intervention tasks, and to what extent do they undertake these tasks jointly as a couple?
2. In what ways do participants in Group two involve their non-participating partner in the intervention activities?
3. What changes do participants in Groups one and two report in their views of themselves and their aging, as well as in their perceptions of and interactions with their partner?

Participants will undertake a multicomponent intervention comprising:

* Three in-person psychoeducational sessions aiming to promote positive views on aging, including positive self-perceptions of aging, and accurate facts about aging
* Independent walking for 12 weeks Primary intervention outcomes are changes in participants' self-perceptions of aging and physical activity engagement. Secondary intervention outcomes are changes in ageism, subjective views of couple's joint aging, perceived age-related changes in one's partner, mood, physical fitness, and cognitive functioning.

Conditions

• Self-perceptions of Aging
• Physical Activity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Views on Aging Intervention

This intervention was developed by Wolff, Warner (47) in 2013-2014; refined by Beyer, Wolff (59) in 2017-2018; and further refined for this project. It will be delivered through three in-person one-hour sessions by two psychologists. it will include homework between sessions two and three. The first session will consist of a quiz on aging with questions about healthy aging and aging in general to detect own negative personal views on aging and misconceptions regarding aging. The second session will provide information on the benefits of more positive views on aging on health, functional and cognitive abilities, and longevity. During the third session participants are thought a technique to modify negative automatic thoughts about aging and asked/invited to put in practice this technique. Finally, the intervention ends with a focus on positive views on aging and their importance for one's health and wellbeing.

BEHAVIORAL

Projecte Moviment

The intervention lasts 12 weeks and is based on international guidelines of physical exercise. Participants will be instructed to walk briskly in one continuous bout (45 minutes for 5 days, 225 minutes per week). Intensity, duration, and times per week will be initiated in a stepwise manner to reduce the possibility of injury. During the first week participants will be asked to walk 30 minutes at 9-10 on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale (i.e., light intensity). During the second week, participants will be asked to walk 45 minutes with the same intensity. During the remaining weeks, participants will be asked to maintain the duration of 45 minutes and increase the intensity of the activity to a moderate-high effort that corresponds with 12-14 in the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

  collaborator OTHER

• Ecole Normale Supérieure de Rennes

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Padova

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Kaiserslautern-Landau

  collaborator OTHER

• Flinders University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Greifswald

  collaborator OTHER

• Federico II University

  collaborator OTHER

• North Carolina State University

  collaborator OTHER

• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Barcelona

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Serena Sabatini, PhD in Psychology · University of Barcelona

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-07-28

Primary Completion

2027-10-31

Completion

2027-10-31

Countries

• Spain

Study Locations