Additional identifiers
EudraCT number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
N/A
Study information
Scientific title
Volunteering, access to Outdoor activities and Wellbeing in older people: a randomised single blinded controlled trial with an intervention group and a waiting list control group
Acronym
VOW
Study hypothesis
Improved access to outdoor activities will improve quality of life and wellbeing of people with severe mobility limitation who are unable to leave their apartment on their own.
Ethics approval
Ethical Committee of Central Finland Hospital District, 22/09/2008
Study design
Randomised single blind controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised controlled trial
Trial setting
Other
Trial type
Quality of life
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Condition
Mobility limitation, participation restriction
Intervention
Intervention group:
Outdoor physical activity; each experiemental group member will be assigned a trained volunteer worker who will assist the participant in participating in recreational out of home activities once a week for three months. This intervention requires recruitment, training and mentoring of volunteers. Volunteers are older retired people.
Control group:
3-month waiting list control group.
Total duration of intervention is 3 months.
Intervention type
Other
Phase
Not Applicable
Drug names
Primary outcome measure
Social and environmental domains of QoL, measured with World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) assessed at the end of the three month intervention
Secondary outcome measures
Assessed at the end of the three month intervention:
1. Loneliness and perceived social support (Social Provision Scale)
2. Depressiveness (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D])
3. Life satisfaction (Life Satisfaction Index Z)
4. Mobility limitation and physiological impairment (validated at-home tests and self-report methods)
5. Self-perceptions of health and functional abilities, motives for and barriers to physical activity, level of physical activity, social relationships and networks and other relevant life-style and health dimensions (validated questionnaires)
Overall trial start date
01/01/2009
Overall trial end date
31/12/2011
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
1. Older community living people
2. Severe mobility limitation with difficulty in accessing the outdoors
3. Recruited through the municipal home services of the city of Jyväskylä (also, in some cases family members contact for recruitment)
4. Aged 70+ years, either sex
5. Consent to participate
6. Sufficient cognitive capacity to participate in the study
Participant type
Patient
Age group
Senior
Gender
Both
Target number of participants
120
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Severe memory loss
2. Completely unable to walk
Recruitment start date
01/01/2009
Recruitment end date
31/12/2011
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Finland
Trial participating centre
PO Box 35
Jyvaskyla
40014
Finland
Sponsor information
Organisation
University of Jyvaskylä (Finland)
Sponsor details
PO Box 35
Jyväskyla
40014
Finland
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
Funders
Funder type
Charity
Funder name
Finland's Slot Machine Association (Finland)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Funder name
Finnish Ministry of Culture and Education (Finland)
Alternative name(s)
Funding Body Type
Funding Body Subtype
Location
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
Not provided at time of registration
Intention to publish date
Participant level data
Not provided at time of registration
Basic results (scientific)
Publication list
2014 results in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24927225
2014 results in: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24952472
Publication citations
-
Results
Rantakokko M, Pakkala I, Ayräväinen I, Rantanen T, The effect of out-of-home activity intervention delivered by volunteers on depressive symptoms among older people with severe mobility limitations: a randomized controlled trial., Aging Ment Health, 2014, 1-8, doi: 10.1080/13607863.2014.924092.
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Results
Rantanen T, Ayräväinen I, Eronen J, Lyyra T, Törmäkangas T, Vaarama M, Rantakokko M, The effect of an outdoor activities' intervention delivered by older volunteers on the quality of life of older people with severe mobility limitations: a randomized controlled trial., Aging Clin Exp Res, 2014, doi: 10.1007/s40520-014-0254-7.