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Merging Attentional Focus and Balance Training to Reduce Fall Risk in Older Adults
NCT03776201 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
Approximately 15 million older adults fall every year in the United States and fall prevention programs have only been moderately successful in arresting fall rates. This proposal uses motor learning principles derived from the attentional focus literature to determine whether training someone where to focus their attention during a balance task enhances balance control and reduces fall risk. Older adults (N=90) who are classified as fallers (one or more falls in the past 12 months) will be recruited. A series of balance control, clinical metrics of fall risk, and patient-reported outcomes will be assessed prior, during, and after a 12-week intervention to examine changes in performance and fall risk. The 12-week intervention will emphasize directing the participants' attention either internally or externally during a series of balance tasks. Empirical evidence and our preliminary data leads us to hypothesize that an external focus of attention training will positively influence balance control. This will be the first study to will examine balance control changes over 12-week balance intervention using an attentional focus paradigm and we will relate the balance control changes to clinical metrics that indicate fall risk and patient-reported outcomes. Further, our proposal includes a novel model of entropy in postural sway, a metric that has been proposed to relate to balance ability, to help explain the hypothesized enhancement in balance. Thus, this proposal will merge motor learning principles with a 12-week balance intervention to determine if fall risk is reduced in older adults. Specific Aim 1 compares balance performance within each trial/session throughout the 12 weeks of balance training to evaluate whether the attentional focus groups (external vs. internal) differ in their motor learning trajectory with respect to the balance task. Specific Aim 2 compares the motor ability outcome measures that relate to fall-risk between the groups (external focus, inter
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- OTHER Balance Training
Study Locations (1)
North Carolina
- UNCG Motor Behavior — Greensboro
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 78 participants |
| Start Date | 2017-10-01 |
| Est. Completion | 2021-12-31 |
| Phase | NA |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT03776201
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT03776201 describes a study currently listed as completed. It is categorized as NA, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 78 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is University of North Carolina, Greensboro, which has 36 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 1 condition, with Accidental Fall appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 1 intervention — of which Balance Training is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT03776201 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include North Carolina. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT03776201 about?
NCT03776201 is a clinical study titled "Merging Attentional Focus and Balance Training to Reduce Fall Risk in Older Adults". Approximately 15 million older adults fall every year in the United States and fall prevention programs have only been moderately successful in arresting fall rates. This proposal uses motor learning principles derived from the attentional focus literature to determine whether training someone where...
What is the current status of trial NCT03776201?
This trial is currently completed. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 78 participants. The study started on 2017-10-01. Estimated completion is 2021-12-31.
What conditions does trial NCT03776201 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Accidental Fall. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT03776201?
The interventions under investigation include: Balance Training (OTHER). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT03776201?
This trial is sponsored by University of North Carolina, Greensboro, which has 36 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT03776201 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across North Carolina. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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