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Small Steps Towards Improving Activity and Sleep Habits to Decrease the Risk of Dementia
This study is designed to test a website called 'Small Steps' that helps older adults change how they use their time to lower their chances of developing dementia. The website provides tools that show participants how they currently spend their time and allows them to explore small changes that could improve their sleep and physical activity. The goal is to help participants reduce the amount of time they spend sitting, increase their physical activity, and enhance the quality and duration of their sleep.
Participants aged 65 and older will be randomly placed into one of two groups: the 'Extended Program' group, which will use the website and receive support, or the 'Condensed Program' group, which will not get the same level of support. The program consists of three parts—Introductory, Maintenance, and Follow-Up—each lasting 12 weeks, making the entire program 36 weeks long. During the first 12 weeks, participants will use the tailored website to help them make gradual changes.
After this initial period, they will work on keeping these new habits for as long as they can. Throughout the study, participants will undergo in-person health tests and complete online surveys to track their sleep habits, sleep quality, motivation, physical activity levels, and sleep duration.
Study details:
The researchers have previously worked together to create a personalized program called 'Small Steps', which uses technology to help people change their habits in order to lower the risk of dementia. The current study will put this program into practice and see how well it works. The 'Small Steps' website helps users understand how they currently spend their time and shows them how minor lifestyle changes can boost their sleep and physical activity.
By looking at how all parts of a person's daily routine interact with each other, the study can analyze these relationships better. They will recruit older adults who are most likely to develop dementia, such as those from lower-income areas, those who don’t exercise much, and the elderly population. Trained research staff will measure participants’ details in person at the beginning and at the end of three 12-week phases of the study.
The research will gather comprehensive information about participants, including demographics, body measurements, and how they spend their time. The intervention will be based on the successful strategy of reducing sitting time among older adults from a previous study. Participants will have the opportunity to work with research staff to develop personal plans that cater to their needs, preferences, and lifestyles.
The researchers believe that the 'Small Steps' program will work better than standard health advice and that its benefits will last even after the study is finished. The researchers expect that, for older adults at risk of dementia, the 'Small Steps' intervention will be practical and will lead to:. 1.
More time spent on physical activities compared to those receiving standard health advice. 2. Better thinking skills as measured by the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Exam.
3. Improved sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire and Sleep Hygiene Index. The main goals of the study are:.
1. To determine how practical a personalized, technology-based program is for improving how older adults use their time throughout the day. 2.
To find out if this tailored program increases physical activity and enhances sleep habits.
Eligibility criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. See if you qualify.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
Eligibility
Age eligible for study : 65 and older
Healthy volunteers accepted : Yes
Gender eligible for study: All
Things to know
Study dates
Study start: 2024-04-03
Primary completion: 2026-12-01
Study completion finish: 2027-01-01
Study type
PREVENTION
Phase
NA
Trial ID
NCT06291909
Intervention or treatment
BEHAVIORAL: Small Steps Program
BEHAVIORAL: Comparator Program
Conditions
- • Dementia
- • Alzheimer Disease
Find a site
Closest Location:
University of South Australia
Research sites nearby
Select from list below to view details:
University of South Australia
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
PLACEBO_COMPARATOR: Condensed Program Group
| BEHAVIORAL: Comparator Program
|
EXPERIMENTAL: Extended Program Group
| BEHAVIORAL: Small Steps Program
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary outcome
| Primary Outcome Measure | Primary Outcome Description | Primary Outcome Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Number of participant logins onto the "Small Steps" website | Analysis of the Small Steps website will be performed to provide the number of logins for each on participant with the 'Small Steps' website. A higher the number of logins, indicates greater engagement with the website. | 0-36 weeks |
| Number of participant check-ins on the "Small Steps" dashboard | Analysis of the Small Steps website will be performed to provide the number of check-ins for each on participant with the 'Small Steps' website. Participants are asked to check-in weekly at a minimum. A higher the number of logins, indicates greater engagement with the website. | 0-36 weeks |
| Number of participant behavioural change choices on the "Small Steps" website during the Introduction Phase. The greater number of choices indicates a greater engagement with the intervention and use of the website. | Analysis of the Small Steps website will be performed to analyse the number of behavioural change choice each participant makes within the 'Small Steps' website. A higher the number of choices, indicates greater engagement with the intervention. | 0-12 weeks |
| Time participants spent on the "Small Steps" website | Analysis of the Small Steps website will be performed to analyse the time each participant spends on the 'Small Steps' website. This will be measured in minutes/login and total number of minutes. A greater number of minutes, indicates greater engagement with the intervention. | 0-36 weeks |
| Duration of each participant behavioural change choice during the Introductory Phase | The duration of each behavioural change the participants choose to make at each week. The duration will be measured in minutes/day for each new behavioural change choice. | 0-12 weeks |
| Holden's Simplified System Usability Scale | The intervention feasibility will be measured by Holden's Simplified System Usability Scale questionnaire, participant reported. The Holden's Simplified System Usability Scale is 10-item design, five-item agreement-based Likert scale, from Strongly agree (5) to Strongly disagree (1) with total scores ranging from 10- 50. It allows you to evaluate software, mobile devices, websites and applications. A higher score indicates greater usability. | 12 and 24 weeks |
| Health Care Climate Questionnaire | The intervention acceptability will be measured by the Health Care Climate Questionnaire (participant reported). This is a 6 item (shortened version) using a 7-point Likert-type scale, from Not At All True (1) to Very True (7). The total scores will range from 6 - 42 and a higher score indicates greater acceptability. The preamble and wording of each item will be altered, to better align with the Small Steps intervention and the role of the health professional. | 12 and 24 weeks |
| Behavioural Automaticity Questionnaire | The intervention acceptability feasibility will be measured by a Behavioural automaticity (Self-Report Behaviour Automaticity Index) questionnaire. Participants rate items (such as "Physical activity is something I do automatically") on a scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Participants will complete the measure in relation to four different behaviours; physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and good sleep practices with each of these 4 behaviours ranging in scores from 4-28. A higher score indicates greater automaticity for that behaviour. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| (Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire | The intervention feasibility will be measured by the participant's motivation to improve physical behaviours (Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire, BREQ-3). The BREQ-3 assesses the six dimensions of motivation. Participants respond to 24 questions using a 5-point Likert scale (0=not true for me, 4=very true for me). The total scores will range from 0 - 96, with a higher score indicating greater motivation. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Self-efficacy and Intention Questionnaire | The intervention feasibility will be measured by self-efficacy and intention questionnaire (participant reported). Participants self-efficacy for physical activity will be captured through the self-efficacy for exercise scale. Intention to be physically active and perform positive sleep behaviours will each be assessed. Participants will respond on a 7-point Likert scale with options ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 7 (Strongly Agree). The total scores will range from 7- 14, with a higher score indicating greater feasibility of the intervention. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Perceived Competence Scale | Participants' satisfaction of their psychological needs of competence will be assessed using the Perceived Competence Scale. This is a short 4-item questionnaire assessing participants' perceived competence to exercise. Participants respond to the 4-items using a 7-point Likert type scale, ranging from 1 (not at all true) to 7 (very true). The total scores will range from 4 - 28, with a higher score indicating greater participant confidence and feelings of competence. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Exit interview | A single Semi-structured exit interview will elicit rich data on participant experiences, perceived burden, suggestions for improvement and barriers to feasibility. | 36 weeks |
| Daily activity | Continuous recording using a wrist-worn activity monitor (FitBit) with daily time-use derived from a 7-day average. Time spent in sedentary, light, moderate-to-vigorous and vigorous physical activity (min/day). | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Sleep quality | Self-reported sleep quality as measured by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The PSQI is 19-item self-report index to assess sleep quality. The questionnaire consists of a combination of Likert type and open-ended questions (later converted to scaled scores using provided guidelines). Scoring provides an overall score ranging from 0 to 21, where lower scores denote a healthier sleep quality. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Sleep Hygiene | Self-reported sleep quality as measured by Sleep Hygiene Index (SHI). The SHI is a 13-item self-report index designed from the ICSD to assess the presence of sleep hygiene behaviours. Each of the item is rated on a five-point Likert scale (ranging from 0 \[never\] to 4 \[always\]). The total scores ranged from 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep hygiene status. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Sleep quantity | Continuous recording using a wrist-worn activity monitor (FitBit) with daily time-use derived from a 7-day average with sleep time measured in minutes per day. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
Secondary outcome
| Secondary Outcome Measure | Secondary Outcome Description | Secondary Outcome Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Addenbrooke's Cognitive Exam III | Scores for Addenbrooke's Cognitive Exam III (ACE-III). This consists of 19 activities which test five cognitive domains: attention (score 0-18), memory (score 0- 26), fluency (score 0-14), language (score 0 - 26) and visuospatial processing (0-16). The total score is 100 with higher scores indicating better cognitive functioning. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Trail Making Test | Score for Trail Making Test. The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a timed neuropsychological test that involves visual scanning and working memory. The TMT is scored by how long it takes to complete the test (seconds). Norms have been established based on age and education and the lower the number of seconds taken the better the cognitive functioning. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
| Digit Span Test | Score for Digit Span Test. This test measures short-term verbal memory. The total number of lists reported correctly is combined across forward span (FS) and backward span (BS) to produce a total correct score. Outcome measures include the direction of the task (forwards or backwards), the longest sequence successfully reached and passed, and the total number of attempts. The higher the score the better the cognitive functioning. | 0, 12, 24 and 36 weeks |
Frequently Asked Questions
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