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Understanding Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making in Exercise

This study aims to understand how emotions and social factors influence older adults' decisions about exercise. Researchers are testing an intervention called "Fit and Strong" to see if it helps older adults exercise more. They want to learn how different ways of talking about exercise (like focusing on benefits or risks) affect people's desire to be active. The study will also look at whether exercising alone or with others, and the positive feelings shared during exercise, make a difference. Success will be measured by improvements in physical health among older adults over two years. You may be able to join if you are between 65 and 80 years old. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 240 participants. It will involve different experiments, including one called "Fit and Strong" at City of Chicago park sites.
What's involved
If you have high blood pressure, dizziness, lightheadedness, or chest pain during physical activity, your doctor will be contacted for clearance to participate.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants' socioemotional aspects of exercise and improvements in physical health will be measured for two years.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT06071130

Connecting Socioemotional Aspects of Exercise to Improvements in Physical Health Among Older Adults

Not Yet Recruiting
NAAges 65–80InterventionalPrevention
DePaul University
~240 participants
Updated 2026-08-28 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Fit and Strong

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Connecting Socioemotional Aspects of Exercise to Improvements in Physical Health among Older Adults
Measured over two years

Conditions

Motivation
Aging
Health Behavior
Emotions
Social Behavior

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Aging

NCT06071130

Where you'd take part

This study runs at 1 site. They're the same protocol — you choose where, and that choice sets who your contact draft is addressed to.

  • DePaul University

    Chicago, Illinoisno site contact published

Sites open and close at different times, so the status above is per site — it can differ from the study's overall status.

Study leadership

  • Joseph Mikels, PhD · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · DePaul University

Who to contact

Joseph Mikels, PhD
[email protected]
773-325-8769
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Experiment 4A: We will follow the standard exclusion protocol used in previous Fit \& Strong! studies (e.g., Hughes et al., 2004; 2006). The participant's physician will be contacted for clearance to participate if they have a history of high blood pressure, or experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or chest pain or pressure during physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, and household chores, etc.) (see document: "E4\_NeedforPhysicianScreeningQuestionnaire.docx"). Additionally, physicians will be contacted if participants indicate that they fall, feel unsteady, or use an assistive walking or standing device. For these conditions and any special considerations that a participant may express, physicians will be contacted for clearance.

Exclusion

Experiment 4A: We will follow the standard exclusion protocol used in previous Fit \& Strong! studies (e.g., Hughes et al., 2004; 2006). For instance, participants will be excluded for joint steroid injections within 3 months, knee or hip surgery within the previous 6 months or next year, rheumatoid arthritis or other systemic inflammatory arthritis, or uncontrolled diabetes. The participant's physician will be contacted for clearance to participate if they have a history of high blood pressure, or experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or chest pain or pressure during physical activities (walking, climbing stairs, and household chores, etc.) (see document: "E4\_NeedforPhysicianScreeningQuestionnaire.docx"). Additionally, physicians will be contacted if participants indicate that they fall, feel unsteady, or use an assistive walking or standing device. For these conditions and any special considerations that a participant may express, physicians will be contacted for clearance (see document: "StatementofMedicalClearanceforExercise.docx" and "CoverLetterforMedicalClearanceforExercise.docx").

What this trial measures

  • Connecting Socioemotional Aspects of Exercise to Improvements in Physical Health among Older Adultstwo years

    Materials \& Measures for Pre- and Post-Intervention: The measurement battery will include: a basic demographic form, a cognitive battery in addition to several oral inductive reasoning measures: Letter Sets and Figure Classification, and Everyday Problem Solving. We will also administer measures of physical activity related variables that have been collected in previous Fit \& Strong! studies, which include: a paper measure of self-efficacy for arthritis self-management, a paper measure of exercise adherence self-efficacy, an oral functional lower extremity muscle strength, 6-minute distance walk in which we measure how far a participant walks in 6 minutes, and a paper version of the Western Ontario and McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index.