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Fall InjuryNCT05388227

Pole Walking Intervention in Retirement Communities

A study testing Pole walking in people with Fall Injury and Osteoporotic Fractures, run by University of Saskatchewan at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This patient-oriented, multi-site study aims to co-design and test a pole walking program with resident and staff representatives from participating independent living and retirement communities. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Fall Injury, Osteoporotic Fractures
What is being tested?
Pole walking
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
53 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
28 Jun 2022to 22 Sep 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Being an ambulatory resident in the independent living/retirement communities.
  • Pass the Get Active Questionnaire. If the participant has heart conditions, angina during daily living, balance, and bone or joint problems, then a Physician Clearance Form is required to be filled out and signed by the participant's family physician.

Who cannot join

  • Using assistive devices for mobility.
  • Being active (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity ≥150 min/week).
  • Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • Saija Kontulainen, University of Saskatchewan

    Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 1G9

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Pole Walking Intervention Within Independent Living/Retirement Communities: Feasibility and Pilot

This patient-oriented, multi-site study aims to co-design and test a pole walking program with resident and staff representatives from participating independent living and retirement communities.

The first part of the study (feasibility phase) is a single-group trial designed to answer the main question: Is the pole walking program feasible in these settings? In this phase, all participants will take part in the program.

Read more

The second part of the study (pilot phase) is a two-group randomized trial that will assess whether the program helps improve physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, while also reducing sedentary time (time spent sitting or being inactive) in older adults living in independent living and retirement communities. Communities will be randomly assigned to either start the program right away or join a wait-list control group.

The program will include supervised group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes each session, over a 12-week period. Sessions will take place outdoors when possible, or indoors if the weather is not suitable.

After follow-up assessments are complete, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their communities.

Read the detailed description

Pole walking provides an attractive form of exercise therapy for older adults. It is a simple, well-tolerated, and effective means to improve overall functional fitness in older adults. Pole walking has improved upper and lower body muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility in community-dwelling older adults. It has been positively associated with balance, functional mobility, muscle strength, and aerobic exercise capacity in older adults. Pole walking is considered to offer a safe format for walking, as poles provide support and help with balance, and thus contribute to confidence in being active. However, there has not yet been a study assessing the feasibility and efficacy of a pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities.

This patient-oriented, multi-site study consists of a feasibility and a pilot phase. The feasibility phase is a single-arm trial that will assess the feasibility and safety of implementing a pole walking intervention within independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, all participants will receive the intervention. The pilot phase is a two-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial that will assess the efficacy of the pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, our target is to include 50 residents from independent living/retirement communities. Sites will be randomized to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit). After completing follow-up assessments, participants in the control group will also be offered the pole walking program at their sites.

Being tested
Pole walking
Keywords
Patient-oriented, Exercise Intervention, Feasibility, Pilot
Medical subject headings
Osteoporotic Fractures

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Pole walkingOther

    The intervention will consist of group sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period. Pole walking exercises are tailored for participants and progressive in nature. Sessions will be led by trained peer, staff, or student instructors and conducted outdoors (indoors if weather conditions do not permit).

Study groups in NCT05388227
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Pole walking interventionExperimentalWill participate in supervised, group pole walking intervention sessions held at the participating communities, 2-3 times per week, for 20-60 minutes per session, over a 12-week period.
Receives: Other: Pole walking
Wait-list controlNo interventionWill continue life as usual during the 12-week period. However, after completing follow-up assessments, will also be offered the pole walking intervention at their communities.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - consent rate

    Assessed by calculating consent rate (%) as the percentage of participants assessed for eligibility who consented.

    Measured: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

  2. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - recruitment rate

    Assessed by calculating recruitment rate (participant/site/month) as the number of potentially eligible participants who consented divided by the number of recruiting sites and then divided by the number of months spent on recruitment.

    Measured: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

  3. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - retention rate

    Assessed by calculating retention rate (%) as the percentage of eligible participants enrolled in the study who received the allocated intervention and completed both baseline and follow-up assessments.

    Measured: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

  4. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - attendance rate

    Assessed by calculating attendance rate (%) as the percentage of available intervention sessions attended by each participant.

    Measured: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)

  5. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention acceptability score

    Assessed by calculating intervention acceptability score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention acceptability measure.

    Measured: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

  6. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention appropriateness score

    Assessed by calculating intervention appropriateness score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater appropriateness of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention appropriateness measure.

    Measured: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

  7. Feasibility of pole walking intervention - intervention feasibility score

    Assessed by calculating intervention feasibility score (ranging from 1-5, with higher scores indicating greater feasibility of an intervention ) using the 4-item intervention feasibility measure.

    Measured: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

  8. Physical function - functional balance/mobility

    Assessed by the timed "up \& go" test.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  9. Physical function - lower-body strength

    Assessed by the 30-s chair stand test.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  10. Health-related quality of life

    Assessed by the 36-item short form survey, which provides a score ranging from 0-100 for each of its 8 scales (the higher the scale scores, the more favorable the corresponding health states).

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. Safety of pole walking intervention

    Assessed by the seriousness and relatedness to the intervention of recorded adverse events.

    Measured: Follow-up assessment sessions (after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility phase)

  2. Physical function - functional capacity

    Assessed by the 6-min walk test.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  3. Physical function - upper-body strength

    Assessed by the grip strength test.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  4. Physical activity/sedentary time

    Assessed by 7-day accelerometry.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  5. Fear of falling

    Assessed by the 10-item falls efficacy scale, which provides a total score ranging from 10-100, with higher scores suggesting greater fear of falling.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  6. Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the lower leg

    Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

  7. Body composition - musculoskeletal properties of the forearm

    Assessed by the peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

    Measured: Baseline and follow-up assessment sessions (before and after the 12-week intervention of the study's feasibility and pilot phases)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 May 2022
  2. Study start28 Jun 2022
  3. Primary completion22 Sep 2025
  4. Study completion22 Sep 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
The feasibility phase of this study is a single-group trial with a primary purpose of assessing the feasibility of implementing a pole walking intervention within independent living/retirement communities. The pilot phase of this study is a two-arm, parallel-group, cluster-randomized, wait-list controlled trial with a primary purpose of assessing the efficacy of the pole walking intervention in improving physical activity, physical function, body composition, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life, and decreasing sedentary time in older adults living in independent living/retirement communities. In this phase, we anticipate enrolling 50 participants from residents of independent living/retirement communities. Communities will be randomly allocated to either the intervention or a wait-list control group.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
53 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05388227
Sponsor's protocol ID
141
Status last verified
Apr 2026
First submitted
18 May 2022
Last updated
29 Apr 2026
Results posted
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Keramati M, Rostami Haji Abadi M, Kontulainen S. Implementing a patient-oriented pole walking intervention in retirement homes: A non-randomized feasibility trial. PLoS One. 2026 Jun 17;21(6):e0349290. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0349290. eCollection 2026.

    PubMed 42308223

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Pole walking in people with Fall Injury and Osteoporotic Fractures, run by University of Saskatchewan at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Feasibility of pole walking intervention - consent rate (time frame: After the completion of the study's feasibility phase (1 year)). The study lists 10 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05388227, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Apr 2026.

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