Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making

Launched by DEPAUL UNIVERSITY · Oct 3, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Emotion, Aging, and Decision Making," is exploring how emotions and social connections can influence older adults' motivation to exercise. Regular exercise is important for maintaining physical and mental health, especially in older adults, as it may help protect against conditions like Alzheimer's disease. The researchers want to find out how positive feelings and social interactions can encourage older adults to start and stick to an exercise routine. They aim to develop new methods to communicate health messages effectively, particularly focusing on the emotional and social aspects of decision-making.

To participate in this trial, older adults aged between 60 and 85 may be eligible, especially those who are less active but could benefit from exercise. However, certain health conditions may prevent some individuals from joining, such as recent joint surgeries or uncontrolled health issues like high blood pressure. Participants can expect to be involved in various activities that help researchers understand what encourages them to exercise, while also ensuring their safety through medical clearance from their doctors if needed. This trial is not yet recruiting participants, but it aims to gather valuable insights that could improve exercise motivation in older adults.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 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.
• • Experiment 4B: Only participants who participated in Experiment 4A are eligible to participate in Experiment 4B.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • 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").
• • Experiment 4B: Participants who did not participate in Experiment 4A are not eligible to participate in Experiment 4B.