Healthy Weight and Stress Management Study

Rehabilitation
Mental health and psychosocial factors
Online since 12 May 2022, updated 880 days ago

About this trial

Approximately 1 in 10 mid-life (age 35-64) Americans have mobility impairing disabilities. People with mobility impairing disabilities are defined using the World Health Organization criteria: communi...

Included participants

Gender
Female
Age
35 - 64 years
Injury level
Level not specified
  • Severity (AIS)?
  • Time since injury
    ≥ 1 year
    Healthy volunteers
    No
    Level not specified

    What’s involved

    Type

    Rehabilitation

    Details

    About 1 in 10 mid-life (age 35-64) Americans have mobility impairing disabilities, steadily increasing due to medical and technological innovations. People with mobility impairing disabilities (PMI) are defined using the World Health Organization criteria, as community living adults with mobility impairment (e.g., amputation, spinal cord injury). Mid-life is a critical time for people to improve their current functioning and enhance healthy aging, by improving emotional health and increasing physical activity (PA). A review showed PA improves emotional and physical health among PMI. PMI have unique challenges to meeting PA guidelines; innovative strategies are needed to achieve emotional and physical benefits for optimal health and aging. The higher prevalence of daily stress encountered by mid-life PMI is linked to emotional health and abdominal fat (cardiometabolic disease risk) that can lead to premature mortality. This is especially so for women with mobility impairment (WMI) who have higher prevalence of excess body fat, higher cardiometabolic risk, and are not eligible for most interventions that involve PA. PA interventions also increase muscle mass, which helps to prevent cardiometabolic conditions. Although vigorous PA may not be well-suited for WMI, lighter intensity PA such as Tai Chi, Qigong and Yoga-also called meditative movement-adapted for seated practice, are a possible solution. Tai Chi and Qigong have been tested in non-impaired populations. Our work combines these two forms of low-to-moderate PA meditative movement, Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ), in a mind-body practice. Our research, and others', show that TCQ consistently shows strong improvement in women in depressive symptoms, anxiety, emotional eating, and sleep quality-all contributing to excess abdominal fat (measured as waist circumference), improved muscle tissue (measured as handgrip strength) and strongly associated with cardiometabolic risk. Conventional health assessment strategies do not always work well for PMI; recent innovations have yielded scalable, low-contact assessment. We have demonstrated robust recruitment, reliable questionnaire administration and strong intervention implementation expertise via social media, video sharing, and gaming platforms. Aim 1: Assess the potential efficacy of TCQ to reduce waist circumference and increase handgrip strength compared to controls from T1 to T2 and sustain this change to T3 and T4 when compared to control. Aim 2: Assess the potential efficacy of TCQ to reduce stress-related behaviors (depressive symptoms, anxiety, emotional eating, and sleep) that impact abdominal fat and strength when compared to control. Aim 3: Evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an online delivered TCQ intervention in women with mobility impairments.

    Potential benefits

    Main benefits

    Mental health and psychosocial factors

    Additional benefits

    Arm/hand function

    General health

    Good to know: Potential benefits are defined as outcomes that are being measured during and/or after the trial.

    Wings for Life supports SCITrialsFinder

    Wings for Life has proudly initiated, led and funded the new version of the SCI Trials Finder website. Wings for Life aims to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The not-for-profit foundation funds world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe.

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    • Trial recruitment status
    • Ended
    • Trial start date
    • 1 Dec 2021
    • Organisation
    • Arizona State University
    • Trial recruitment status
    • Ended
    • Trial start date
    • 1 Dec 2021
    • Organisation
    • Arizona State University

    Wings for Life supports SCITrialsFinder

    Wings for Life has proudly initiated, led and funded the new version of the SCI Trials Finder website. Wings for Life aims to find a cure for spinal cord injuries. The not-for-profit foundation funds world-class scientific research and clinical trials around the globe.

    Learn more