An interventional study of Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) Exercise Program in Healthy Aging and Health Promotion, sponsored by Mahidol University. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-09.
Sponsored by Mahidol University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This study will evaluate the effects and preliminary cost-effectiveness of the Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) exercise program among community-dwelling older adults in Thailand. HBA is a 40-minute exercise program that combines gentle body movements with rhythmic tapping along traditional Chinese medicine meridian points.
Older adults in the intervention group will participate in HBA exercise three times per week for 6 months. During months 1-3, the sessions will be led by trained exercise leaders. During months 4-6, participants will exercise using a prerecorded HBA video, with personnel present to monitor safety. Participants in the control group will continue their usual daily activities and usual health services without receiving the HBA program during the study period.
Physical fitness, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life will be assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The study will also compare the direct and indirect costs of the leader-led and video-led phases and conduct a preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis to examine whether the HBA program may be a practical and sustainable health-promotion approach for older adults living in the community.
The Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) regimen is a structured exercise program based on concepts from traditional Chinese medicine and meridian theory. Each 40-minute session consists of a 10-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of rhythmic acupunch movements along selected meridian areas, and a 10-minute cool-down and relaxation period.
Participants assigned to the intervention group will attend approximately 72 HBA sessions over 6 months, three sessions per week. During the first 3 months, approximately 36 sessions will be conducted in a leader-led format by trained exercise leaders. During months 4-6, approximately 36 sessions will be conducted using a prerecorded HBA exercise video. Safety will be monitored throughout the exercise sessions. The control group will not receive the HBA intervention during the study period and will continue usual daily activities, community activities, and routine health services.
Outcome assessments will be conducted at baseline, after 3 months, and after 6 months. Physical fitness will be assessed using seven performance measures: the 2-Minute Step Test, Peak Flow Meter, Back Scratch Test, Chair Sit-and-Reach Test, handgrip strength, 60-Second Arm Curl Test, and 60-Second Chair Sit-to-Stand Test. Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and health-related quality of life will be assessed using the SF-12v2 Health Survey.
In addition to health outcomes, the study will collect direct program costs, such as training, video production, materials, participant-related expenses, and transportation, as well as indirect costs such as personnel time and community resource use. Costs will be compared between the leader-led and video-led phases. A preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis will relate differences in costs to changes in health outcomes, including physical fitness and health-related quality of life.
2,646 studies on the registry are indexed under Motor Activity; 1,205 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 92 is above the median of 60 across 2,309 interventional studies indexed under Motor Activity.
Browse Motor Activity studies →Mahidol University is the lead sponsor of 744 studies on the registry; 116 are open to participants now.
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Exclusion Criteria:
- Severe cardiovascular or respiratory conditions that may make exercise unsafe, such as ischemic heart disease, severe cardiac arrhythmia, severe hypertension, or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Severe musculoskeletal disorders that prevent participation in the exercise program.
- Any medical condition or medical advice indicating that the participant should not exercise.
Participants will continue their usual daily activities, community activities, and routine health services and will not receive the Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) exercise program during the study period.
Participants assigned to this arm will receive the Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) exercise program for 40 minutes per session, three times per week, for 6 months, in addition to their usual daily activities and routine health services.
Behavioral: Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) Exercise Program
The Healthy Beat Acupunch (HBA) program is a non-invasive 40-minute exercise intervention performed three times per week for 6 months (approximately 72 sessions). Each session consists of a 10-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of rhythmic acupunch movements using gentle tapping along traditional Chinese medicine meridian areas, and a 10-minute cool-down and relaxation period. During months 1-3, approximately 36 sessions are delivered in a leader-led format by trained exercise leaders. During months 4-6, approximately 36 sessions are delivered using a prerecorded HBA exercise video, with personnel present to monitor participant safety.
Aerobic Endurance Assessed by the 2-Minute Step Test
Aerobic endurance will be assessed using the 2-Minute Step Test. The outcome is the number of times the participant raises the knee to the predetermined height within 2 minutes. Higher counts indicate better aerobic endurance.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Pulmonary Function Assessed by Peak Flow Meter
Pulmonary function will be assessed using a peak flow meter. Participants will inhale fully and then exhale as forcefully as possible. The recorded peak expiratory flow value will be used for analysis.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Upper-Body Flexibility Assessed by the Back Scratch Test
Upper-body flexibility will be assessed using the Back Scratch Test. The distance between the middle fingers of both hands will be measured, with negative values indicating a gap, zero indicating touching, and positive values indicating overlap.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Lower-Body Flexibility Assessed by the Chair Sit-and-Reach Test
Lower-body flexibility will be assessed using the Chair Sit-and-Reach Test. The distance between the fingertips and toes will be measured, with negative values indicating that the toes are not reached and positive values indicating that the fingertips extend beyond the toes.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Handgrip Strength
Handgrip strength will be measured using a digital handgrip dynamometer. Participants will perform two trials using the dominant hand, and the best value will be recorded in kilograms.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Upper-Body Endurance Assessed by the 60-Second Arm Curl Test
Upper-body endurance will be assessed by the number of arm curls completed within 60 seconds while seated. Men will use a 3.63-kg (8-lb) dumbbell and women will use a 2.27-kg (5-lb) dumbbell.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Lower-Body Endurance Assessed by the 60-Second Chair Sit-to-Stand Test
Lower-body endurance will be assessed by the number of complete sit-to-stand repetitions performed within 60 seconds without using the arms for assistance.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Sleep Quality Assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Thai version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Changes in the global PSQI score from baseline will be compared between and within study groups. Higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed by the SF-12v2 Health Survey
Health-related quality of life will be assessed using the Thai version of the SF-12v2 Health Survey. Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores will be derived, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months
Direct and Indirect Costs of the HBA Program
Direct and indirect costs of delivering the HBA program will be collected and compared between the leader-led phase and the video-led phase. Direct costs include training, video production, materials, participant-related expenses, and transportation. Indirect costs include personnel time and the use of community or health service resources. Costs will also be summarized as cost per participant.
Time frame: Throughout the 6-month intervention period
Preliminary Cost-Effectiveness of the HBA Program
Preliminary cost-effectiveness will be evaluated by relating differences in program costs to differences in health outcomes between the leader-led and video-led phases. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) will be calculated using selected health outcomes, including changes in physical fitness and health-related quality of life.
Time frame: At completion of the 6-month intervention
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
Start is estimated for Dec 2026; primary completion for Jun 2027, 6 months later.
Of 1,726 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Motor Activity, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 47. This study's planned 6 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,738 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 47.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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