Exercise Snacking to Improve Strength and STability:ESISST pilot study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The acceptability of exercise snacking to improve leg strength in memory clinic outpatients: a pilot study
IRAS ID
306121
Contact name
Max Western
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bath
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Research Summary
As we age, muscles can become progressively weaker to the point that tasks of daily living cannot be carried out safely. Prolonged periods of isolation and inactivity in older adults, such as that imposed during the global COVID-19 pandemic, can lead to reduced muscle size, force, and activation. However, regular resistance exercise training has been shown to maintain and even increase muscle strength in older adults. Whilst gym-based resistance exercise programmes have been shown to be safe and effective in improving strength in older adults, these can be costly, logistically challenging, or not attractive to this population. Moreover, individuals most in need of improving muscle strength are those least likely to undertake resistance exercise and may already be presenting clinically as being at risk of falling. Previous research has identified a homebased, non-loaded, lower limb only, ‘exercise snacking’ model that does not require exercise equipment or supervision as a viable alternative exercise strategy with potential to improve leg muscle strength in healthy older adults. Exercise snacking, we define as the performance of small bursts of strength exercise that require no specialist equipment clothing or settings, can be performed at any time to suit the individual. To date, we have shown this approach to be feasible and acceptable to general healthy older adult population, however this approach to exercise focussed on improving strength has not been considered in a clinical population. This research seeks to investigate the acceptability of 28 days of homebased exercise snacking in outpatients with attending the memory clinic at the Research Institute for Care of the Elderly (RICE) Centre in Bath, UK, with diagnosis limited to mild cognitive impairment only. This study will improve understanding of how zero-cost exercise strategies to potentially improve muscle function and delay frailty could be incorporated in daily routines of older adults.
Summary of Results
This pilot study investigated the acceptability of a 28-day homebased exercise snacking intervention and the associated measurement of physical function and self-reported health and wellbeing, in outpatients who had attended an NHS commissioned memory clinic at the Research Institute for Care of Older Adults in Bath, UK.
All patients attempted 28 consecutive days of twice daily exercise snacking to improve strength. After the intervention, acceptability of exercise snacking was assessed by questionnaire and face-to-face qualitative interviews. The acceptability was deemed to be high, receiving an overall score of 4.6 out of 5 in the questionnaire. The qualitative interviews provided insight into why patients found it acceptable, with many reporting that they felt that they were getting stronger, it was easy to fit into their daily routines, and that they would carry on with the exercises after the study.
Basic assessments of physical function and self-reported health and wellbeing were undertaken before and after intervention. Health and wellbeing measures did not change, but there were encouraging improvements in physical function with a trend towards reduced risk of frailty in some patients. These data are interpreted cautiously however, as the study was not designed to test if the intervention improved physical function.REC name
South West - Frenchay Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/SW/0084
Date of REC Opinion
1 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion