An interventional study of BCE Combination group in Fatigue, sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Completed at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 70 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-02-28.
Sponsored by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This project aims to investigate the effects of an individualized exercise programme with and without BCE strategies for community-dwelling frail older people with general fatigue, so as to reduce their fatigue and improve their physical endurance, exercise self-efficacy, and habitual physical activity, while reducing their symptoms of frailty.
Twelve district community health centres will be randomized to one of the three study groups: the combined (COMB) group, receiving the 16-week combined intervention consisting of individualized exercise training and Behavioural Change Enhancement programmes plus two booster sessions at 2 and 6 months after the programme; the exercise (EXER) group, receiving exercise training and health talks only; or the control group, receiving health talks only. Participants from each centre will be placed in their centre's corresponding group.
It is hypothesized that the COMB group will achieve a significantly greater reduction in fatigue and a greater improvement in their physical endurance, exercise self-efficacy, and habitual physical activity, and a significantly greater reduction in their frailty symptoms, when compared with the EXER and control groups at 1 week and 6 and 12 months after completing the interventions.
All twelve community centres, which provide similar types of community care and social support services for community-dwelling older people, have been invited by a convenience method to work as collaborators in this study. The target population of this study are community-dwelling frail older people with general fatigue with a nonspecific cause who will be recruited through the community centres. Using computer-generated random numbers, a biostatistician not affiliated with this study will randomize the centres into either: control, EXER, or COMB. The number of participants recruited in each centre will be in proportion to the size of the centre.
Participants allocated to the COMB group will receive a 16-week programme with a combination of the BCE programme and exercise training. The BCE programme is designed based on the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model and was piloted by the principal investigator, which aims to motivate the participants to develop the intention to actively manage their fatigue; and to encourage them to gradually exceed the perceived limits of their energy and to recondition their bodies by participating in exercise according to their individual exercise regimens. The BCE programme consists of three phases (the goal initiation, plan formulation and action execution) with 6 face-to-face 1-hour sessions plus two booster BCE sessions at 2 and 6 months after the programme.
For the exercise training, a weekly 45-60 minute centre-based exercise programme, which is designed according to the American Heart Association's recommendations on exercise for older people will be arranged from weeks 4-16 during the execution phase. The exercise sessions consist of balance training, resistance exercises, and aerobic training. All participants will receive circuit training with set exercises, but the dosage of different components will be tailor-made for each participant by a physiotherapist after having their physical conditions examined.
The EXER group will receive a 16-week programme with a combination of exercise training and centre-based health talks on the management of different health issues with the exception of fatigue.
The control group will attend centre-based health talks only.
The number and timing of the health talks for the other two groups will be similar to those in the BCE sessions.
2,229 studies on the registry are indexed under Fatigue; 426 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 184 is above the median of 54 across 1,757 interventional studies indexed under Fatigue.
Browse Fatigue studies →The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the lead sponsor of 679 studies on the registry; 257 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: are older people who:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
16-week BCE programme with exercise training. Six 1-hour sessions of BCE programme and a weekly 45-60 minute centre-based exercise programme from week 4 to week 16.
Other: BCE Combination group
16-week programme with health talks and exercise training. Six 1-hour sessions of health talks and a weekly 45-60 minutes centre-based exercise programme from week 4 to week 16.
Six sessions of centre-based health talks on the management of different health issues with the exception of fatigue.
The combination intervention programme consists of a weekly exercise training sessions and 6 sessions of Behavioral Change Enhancement (BCE) programme.
Participants' level of fatigue will be assessed using the 20-item Chinese Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (CMFI-20)
CMFI-20 consists of 20 items, each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1=strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree, with all items summed to get the total score which ranges from 20-100, a higher score indicates more fatigue.
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline total fatigue score at mid-term programme (i.e. wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' lower-limb strength will be assessed using the 30-second chair stand test
Participants will be asked to stand up and sit down as many as they can within 30 seconds on a standard chair. The total number of standing up from a chair will be counted. More number indicates better lower-limb strength
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline lower-limb strength at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' upper-limb strength will be assessed using a handheld Jamar Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer
It will be measured by handheld Jamar Hydraulic Hand Dynamometer with kilogram (kg). Greater force in kg indicates better upper-limb strength
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline upper-limb strength in kg at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' functional mobility will be measured by the timed-up-and-go-test
Record the time in second that participants complete the timed up and go test to indicate their functional mobility
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline time to complete the "timed-up-and-go-test" at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' gait speed will be measured by the 6 meter walk test
Record the time in second that participants complete the 6 meter walk test to indicate the their gait speed.
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline gait speed at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after the completion of the programme
Participants' exercise self-efficacy will be measured using Chinese Self-Efficacy for Exercise (CSEE) scale
The CSEE scale contains of 9 items. Each item is rated on 11-point Liker scale from 0 = no confidence to 10 = full of confidence. All item scores are summed to get the total score which ranges from 0 to 90 with a higher score indicates higher exercise self-efficacy
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline total CSSE score at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' frailty level will be assessed using Fried Frailty Index (FFI)
Fried Frailty Index includes: i) an unintentional loss of 10% of body weight in the past year; ii) exhaustion: by answering 'Yes' to either 'I felt that everything I did was an effort', or 'I could not get going in the last week'; iii) a slow walk time: with an average walking speed in the lowest quintile stratified by median body height; iv) reduced handgrip strength: with maximal grip strength in the lowest quintile stratified by body mass index quartile; and v) the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly-Chinese (PASE-C) score in the lowest quintile (i.e., \< 30 for men and \< 27.7 for women).
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline frailty level at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after the completion of the programme
Physical activity will be assessed using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly-Chinese (PASE-C)
The PASE-C is a self-reported scale for evaluating the level of physical activity of older people over a 1-week period. It consists of 12-items to explain three levels of activities: leisure time activity, household activity and work-related activity. Basic descriptions are:1) 5-items under the leisure time activity are rated on a 4-point scale; 2) 6-items relate to household activity are rated on dichotomous (yes or no) scale; 3) work-related activity is rated by whether the activity is a paid or volunteer work; 4) The duration (in hours) spent on such activities will be reported by the participants. 5) The total PASE-C score will be calculated by adding the score of each item determined on the basis of the time spent on each activity or the presence or absence of activity over the past 7 days.6) Amount of time spent in each activity multiplied by PASE-C item weights \& adding all scores together for the final PASE-C score. A high score indicates a high level of physical activity.
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline PASE-C total score at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after completing the programme
Participants' depressive mood will be assessed by the 15-item Chinese version Geriatric Depression Scale (C-GDS)
The C-GDS consists of 15 yes/no questions. Each negative answer will be given 1 point, with possible scores ranging from 0-15. The higher score indicates more depressive mood. • Respondents with a score more than 8 are identified as having symptoms of depression.
Time frame: To detect the change from baseline C-GDS total score at mid-term programme (wk 8 after commences of the programme),and then 1 week, 6 month and 12 months months after the completion of the programme
PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.
Plan to share: No — For confidentiality, the data will be kept anonymous and the names of all participants will be replaced by reference codes. The data collected will be kept in a locked place and electronic versions will be encrypted, and only be accessible by the researchers. All data will be destroyed within 3 years after the completion of this research.
Ran from Feb 2018 to primary completion in Apr 2020, 26 months.
Of 936 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Fatigue, half reached primary completion within 12 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27. This study's 26 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 989 studies reached it within 11 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 27.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University →