Impaired MobilityNCT06726083
Improving Dietary Quality and Social Engagement Through a Virtual Nutrition and Teaching Kitchen Intervention Among Older Veterans With Impaired Mobility
A study testing Nutrition Intervention in people with Impaired Mobility, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Compared to non-Veterans, Veterans demonstrate an increased risk for obesity and multimorbidity. Thus, interventions to improve overall health are warranted in this population. Healthy diets that include fruits and vegetables are linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease including mobility disability, and are… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 65 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Impaired Mobility
- What is being tested?
- Nutrition Intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 180 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 31 Mar 2026to 31 Mar 2030
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 65 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Veterans >65 years with reduced gait speed (gait speed <1.0 m/s) or elevated four square step test
- use of an assistive device who also indicate that they would like to improve their eating habits, defined by response of <3 on a scale of 1 to 5 to the question, 'Do you consider your eating habits to be healthy'
Who cannot join
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c >10) or Current renal replacement therapy (e.g. dialysis)
- Other medical condition precluding patient participation in this study as per medical judgment of study team
- dementia as self-reported or found on medical record review
- currently participating in a diet or weight loss intervention
- Volatile behavior issues or unable to work successfully in a group environment/setting
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
Baltimore, Maryland, 21201
Jeffrey P Beans, BS, 410-605-7000 ext. 4168, jeffrey.beans@va.gov
Elizabeth A Parker, PhD RD
About this study
Compared to non-Veterans, Veterans demonstrate an increased risk for obesity and multimorbidity. Thus, interventions to improve overall health are warranted in this population. Healthy diets that include fruits and vegetables are linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease including mobility disability, and are associated with higher muscle mass, strength and physical performance potentially slowing further disability progression later in life. The investigators will determine if a three-month virtual group nutrition intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual teaching kitchen cooking demonstrations tailored for older Veterans with impaired mobility will improve diet, health-related quality of life and muscle strength.
Read the detailed description
There are >8 million older Veterans (>65 years) in the United States, and nearly half of them self-report having a disability such as impaired mobility that impacts their ability to perform self-care. Among older Veterans with mobility disability, common self-care tasks like food shopping, meal preparation, and cooking are barriers to consuming a healthy diet, resulting in poor dietary intake. Poor dietary intake contributes to chronic disease risk and loss of muscle mass and strength, consequently limiting function and increasing immobility. Teaching older Veterans with impaired mobility how to overcome barriers limiting these diet-related self-care tasks provides an opportunity to significantly impact this group's dietary intake. Lack of social support has also been associated with negative health outcomes and poor nutritional intake; thus, effective, age-friendly intervention strategies to improve dietary quality as a strategy to delay further progression of disability and maintain functional independence among this population are needed.
In this randomized controlled trial, the investigators will determine if a 3-month virtual group nutrition intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual teaching kitchen cooking demonstrations tailored for older Veterans will improve diet and functional mobility. The overarching hypothesis is that virtual group nutrition education classes and cooking demos, personalized to include considerations of this population's physical limitations, age-related taste changes and technological barriers, will result in favorable improvements in dietary quality and functional mobility while promoting social interaction.
Specific Aim 1: determine the impact of the virtual intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual cooking demonstrations on objective measures of diet quality compared to contact control among a diverse sample of older Veterans with impaired mobility. Additionally, the investigators will assess the sustained effects of the program on dietary quality at a 6-month follow-up, 3-months after the virtual intervention ends. If no treatment effects are observed at the end of the 3-month intervention, the investigators will explore reasons why the intervention was ineffective.
Specific Aim 2: determine the impact of the 3-month virtual nutrition intervention on measures of social isolation, health-related quality of life and mental health using validated questionnaires.
Specific Aim 3: determine associations with changes in dietary quality and frailty-related physical function outcomes and body composition among those who benefit from a virtual nutrition education and cooking program.
- Conditions
- Impaired Mobility
- Being tested
- Nutrition Intervention, Contact Control
- Keywords
- diet quality
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Nutrition InterventionBehavioural
Weekly virtual live group sessions led by a trained study team member will be held twice weekly for 1 hour/week over 12 weeks using a HIPAA compliant online platform. The first class of each week will include the teaching kitchen cooking demonstration (~30 min) and the remainder of the class will focus on dietary education. The second class each week will provide an opportunity for group discussion to have Veterans share to their peers about how they used the weekly produce
Contact ControlBehavioural
Weekly virtual live group health education sessions led by staff will be held for two hours/week over 12 weeks. We will enroll up to 15 participants into each virtual class cohort and run multiple different group sessions for a total sample size of 90 participants. The content follows the LIFE study structured successful aging health education curriculum80,81 which was designed to increase self-efficacy and empower older Veterans to take control of their own healthcare. Topics focus on a broad range of healthy aging, such as importance of sleep, safe travel, goal setting, self-care, and common comorbidities
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition Intervention | Experimental | Weekly virtual live group sessions led by a trained study team member will be held twice weekly for 1 hour/week over 12 weeks using a HIPAA compliant online platform. The first class of each week will include the teaching kitchen cooking demonstration (~30 min) and the remainder of the class will focus on dietary education. The second class each week will provide an opportunity for group discussion to have Veterans share to their peers about how they used the weekly produce Receives: Behavioral: Nutrition Intervention |
| Contact Control | Active comparator | Weekly virtual live group health education sessions led by staff will be held for two hours/week over 12 weeks. We will enroll up to 15 participants into each virtual class cohort and run multiple different group sessions for a total sample size of 90 participants. The content follows the LIFE study structured successful aging health education curriculum80,81 which was designed to increase self-efficacy and empower older Veterans to take control of their own healthcare. Topics focus on a broad range of healthy aging, such as importance of sleep, safe travel, goal setting, self-care, and common comorbidities Receives: Behavioral: Contact Control |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Diet quality
Habitual dietary intake will be assessed using three 24-h recalls via the online Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool, version (2022), developed by the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. The dietary recalls will be used to calculate diet quality using the HEI; scores range from 0 to 100; higher scores indicate better adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Social Isolation
The Lubben Social Network Scale, is a 12-item scale to assess self-reported social engagement including family and friends (Cronbach's =0.70). The total score is calculated by finding the sum of the all items. The score ranges between 0 and 60, with a higher score indicating more social engagement. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is a 20-item scale to measure subjective feelings of loneliness \& social isolation (Cronbach's 0.89<0.94). Using a 4-point rating scale (1= never; 4 = always), participants answer 20 questions, such as "How often do you feel left out?" and "How often do you feel part of a group of friends?" Researchers later reverse-code the positively worded items so that high values mean more loneliness, and then calculate a score for each respondent by averaging their ratings. Both measures are included because they assess complementary but separate constructs
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Secondary outcomes (5)
Health-related Quality of Life
The PROMIS Global Health (v1.2) consist of 10 items on a 5-pt Likert scale to measure an individual's physical (GPH) and mental health (GMH). The GPH score comprises 4 items on physical health, physical functioning, pain intensity, and fatigue. The GMH score includes 4 items on overall HRQoL, mental health, satisfaction with social activities/relationships, \& emotional problems. Higher scores indicate better HRQoL.
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Body Composition
Total and regional percentage body fat, absolute fat mass and fat-free mass will be measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).
Measured: 3 month
Modified Physical Performance Test (MPPT)
The MPPT is a nine-item standardized test used to identify frailty and mobility dysfunction in older individuals. It scores individuals on the time it takes to complete such tasks as donning and doffing a coat, picking a penny from the ground, and ascending the stairs. These scores are then summed out of 36 and scores of less than 32 indicate at least mild frailty.
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Functional Gait Assessment (FGA)
The FGA is a 10-item clinical gait test that is based on the dynamic gait index (DGI). It tests higher level dynamic gait activities that are part of daily functional mobility such as turning safely and ambulating backwards. Total scores ranging from 0 to 30 and scores below 22 are predictive of future falls.
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Falls-Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)
The FES-I is a 16-item self-reported tool that measures fear of falling when completing routine activities such as preparing a meal, going shopping, getting dressed, visiting with friends and family, and reaching up or bending down. The level of concern is measured on a four-point Likert scale (1=not at all concerned to 4=very concerned). It is scored from 16-64 points (high fear of falling >23 points)
Measured: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Dec 2024
- Study start31 Mar 2026
- Primary completion31 Mar 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Mar 2030 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Impaired MobilityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by VA Office of Research and DevelopmentThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Randomized controlled trial with an intervention group compared to a control group
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and Development
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Elizabeth A Parker, PhD RD, Principal investigator, Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06726083
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- E5306-R
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Dec 2024
- Last updated
- 7 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Capra B, Addison O, Falvey JR, Juckett L, Prior SJ, Beamer BA, Sorkin J, Giffuni J, Beans J, Dennis EA. Group virtual nutrition and teaching kitchen intervention versus time/attention-matched health education curriculum control to improve dietary quality and social engagement among older Veterans with impaired mobility: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2026 Apr 28;26(1):832. doi: 10.1186/s12877-026-07556-x.
PubMed 42050418
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Improving Dietary Quality and Social Engagement Through a Virtual Nutrition and Teaching Kitchen Intervention Among Older Veterans With Impaired Mobility
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06726083
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- E5306-R
- Conditions
- Impaired Mobility
- Keywords
- diet quality
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 180 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- VA Office of Research and DevelopmentUS federal agency
- Study start
- 31 Mar 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Mar 2030 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Mar 2030 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Dec 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Compared to non-Veterans, Veterans demonstrate an increased risk for obesity and multimorbidity. Thus, interventions to improve overall health are warranted in this population. Healthy diets that include fruits and vegetables are linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease including mobility disability, and are associated with higher muscle mass, strength and physical performance potentially slowing further disability progression later in life. The investigators will determine if a three-month virtual group nutrition intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual teaching kitchen cooking demonstrations tailored for older Veterans with impaired mobility will improve diet, health-related quality of life and muscle strength.
Detailed description
There are >8 million older Veterans (>65 years) in the United States, and nearly half of them self-report having a disability such as impaired mobility that impacts their ability to perform self-care. Among older Veterans with mobility disability, common self-care tasks like food shopping, meal preparation, and cooking are barriers to consuming a healthy diet, resulting in poor dietary intake. Poor dietary intake contributes to chronic disease risk and loss of muscle mass and strength, consequently limiting function and increasing immobility. Teaching older Veterans with impaired mobility how to overcome barriers limiting these diet-related self-care tasks provides an opportunity to significantly impact this group's dietary intake. Lack of social support has also been associated with negative health outcomes and poor nutritional intake; thus, effective, age-friendly intervention strategies to improve dietary quality as a strategy to delay further progression of disability and maintain functional independence among this population are needed.
In this randomized controlled trial, the investigators will determine if a 3-month virtual group nutrition intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual teaching kitchen cooking demonstrations tailored for older Veterans will improve diet and functional mobility. The overarching hypothesis is that virtual group nutrition education classes and cooking demos, personalized to include considerations of this population's physical limitations, age-related taste changes and technological barriers, will result in favorable improvements in dietary quality and functional mobility while promoting social interaction.
Specific Aim 1: determine the impact of the virtual intervention paired with produce delivery and virtual cooking demonstrations on objective measures of diet quality compared to contact control among a diverse sample of older Veterans with impaired mobility. Additionally, the investigators will assess the sustained effects of the program on dietary quality at a 6-month follow-up, 3-months after the virtual intervention ends. If no treatment effects are observed at the end of the 3-month intervention, the investigators will explore reasons why the intervention was ineffective.
Specific Aim 2: determine the impact of the 3-month virtual nutrition intervention on measures of social isolation, health-related quality of life and mental health using validated questionnaires.
Specific Aim 3: determine associations with changes in dietary quality and frailty-related physical function outcomes and body composition among those who benefit from a virtual nutrition education and cooking program.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Randomized controlled trial with an intervention group compared to a control group
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Nutrition InterventionWeekly virtual live group sessions led by a trained study team member will be held twice weekly for 1 hour/week over 12 weeks using a HIPAA compliant online platform. The first class of each week will include the teaching kitchen cooking demonstration (~30 min) and the remainder of the class will focus on dietary education. The second class each week will provide an opportunity for group discussion to have Veterans share to their peers about how they used the weekly produce |
| Contact Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Contact ControlWeekly virtual live group health education sessions led by staff will be held for two hours/week over 12 weeks. We will enroll up to 15 participants into each virtual class cohort and run multiple different group sessions for a total sample size of 90 participants. The content follows the LIFE study structured successful aging health education curriculum80,81 which was designed to increase self-efficacy and empower older Veterans to take control of their own healthcare. Topics focus on a broad range of healthy aging, such as importance of sleep, safe travel, goal setting, self-care, and common comorbidities |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 65 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Veterans >65 years with reduced gait speed (gait speed <1.0 m/s) or elevated four square step test
- use of an assistive device who also indicate that they would like to improve their eating habits, defined by response of <3 on a scale of 1 to 5 to the question, 'Do you consider your eating habits to be healthy'
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c >10) or Current renal replacement therapy (e.g. dialysis)
- Other medical condition precluding patient participation in this study as per medical judgment of study team
- dementia as self-reported or found on medical record review
- currently participating in a diet or weight loss intervention
- Volatile behavior issues or unable to work successfully in a group environment/setting
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition InterventionWeekly virtual live group sessions led by a trained study team member will be held twice weekly for 1 hour/week over 12 weeks using a HIPAA compliant online platform. The first class of each week will include the teaching kitchen cooking demonstration (~30 min) and the remainder of the class will focus on dietary education. The second class each week will provide an opportunity for group discussion to have Veterans share to their peers about how they used the weekly produce | Behavioural | Nutrition Intervention |
| Contact ControlWeekly virtual live group health education sessions led by staff will be held for two hours/week over 12 weeks. We will enroll up to 15 participants into each virtual class cohort and run multiple different group sessions for a total sample size of 90 participants. The content follows the LIFE study structured successful aging health education curriculum80,81 which was designed to increase self-efficacy and empower older Veterans to take control of their own healthcare. Topics focus on a broad range of healthy aging, such as importance of sleep, safe travel, goal setting, self-care, and common comorbidities | Behavioural | Contact Control |
Primary outcome
Diet quality
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Habitual dietary intake will be assessed using three 24-h recalls via the online Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24) Dietary Assessment Tool, version (2022), developed by the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. The dietary recalls will be used to calculate diet quality using the HEI; scores range from 0 to 100; higher scores indicate better adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Social Isolation
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
The Lubben Social Network Scale, is a 12-item scale to assess self-reported social engagement including family and friends (Cronbach's =0.70). The total score is calculated by finding the sum of the all items. The score ranges between 0 and 60, with a higher score indicating more social engagement. The UCLA Loneliness Scale is a 20-item scale to measure subjective feelings of loneliness \& social isolation (Cronbach's 0.89<0.94). Using a 4-point rating scale (1= never; 4 = always), participants answer 20 questions, such as "How often do you feel left out?" and "How often do you feel part of a group of friends?" Researchers later reverse-code the positively worded items so that high values mean more loneliness, and then calculate a score for each respondent by averaging their ratings. Both measures are included because they assess complementary but separate constructs
5 secondary outcomes
Health-related Quality of Life
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Body Composition
Time frame: 3 month
Modified Physical Performance Test (MPPT)
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Functional Gait Assessment (FGA)
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Falls-Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)
Time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Apr 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42050418Capra B, Addison O, Falvey JR, Juckett L, Prior SJ, Beamer BA, Sorkin J, Giffuni J, Beans J, Dennis EA. Group virtual nutrition and teaching kitchen intervention versus time/attention-matched health education curriculum control to improve dietary quality and social engagement among older Veterans with impaired mobility: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2026 Apr 28;26(1):832. doi: 10.1186/s12877-026-07556-x.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Impaired Mobility
Not yet recruiting
Adapting an Evidence-Based Physical Activity Intervention to Prevent Frailty and Functional Decline in Older Women Living With HIV
Mobility Impairment, Frailty
Not yet recruiting
Motor Imagery and Turning Practice to Improve Mobility: Pilot Trial
Mobility Impairment, Community Dwelling Older Adults
RecruitingPhase 3
Dalfampridine Combined With Physical Therapy for Mobility Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis
Enrolling by invitationPhase 2
Deployment and Evaluation of Humanoid Robotics in Coalition-Aligned Clinical Care Settings
Mobility Impairment, Clinical Workflow Optimization
Recruiting
Evaluation of Impaired Mobility in Chronic Illness Constitution of a Cohort
Joint Osteoarthritis, Atherosclerosis of the Distal Arteries, Without Gangrene
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Elizabeth A Parker, PhD RD principal investigator
Baltimore VA Medical Center VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Nutrition Intervention in people with Impaired Mobility, run by VA Office of Research and Development at 1 site in United States.
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 5 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 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 United States. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Jeffrey P Beans, BS ((410) 605-7000 ext. 4168, jeffrey.beans@va.gov), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Diet quality (time frame: 3 month and 6 month compared to baseline). The study lists 2 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 NCT06726083, 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 7 Apr 2026.