Projects

Projects in the Aging and Population Health Lab are focused on older adult mobility. 

Currently, as part of a CIHR-funded Healthy Cities Implementation Science Team in Healthy Aging, we are adapting a choice-based older adult health promotion program called 'Choose to Move' to meet the unique needs and preferences of older men. And, with collaborators in Australia, we are developing a core outcome set for clinical trials of physical activity with older adults.   

Our research is embedded in knowledge translation and exchange frameworks and adopts patient-oriented research approaches to supports translation of insights into actions.

In the past, we have tested interventions to prevent fall-related injuries, designed and evaluated exercise programs to reduce the energetic requirements of walking and related fatigability, investigated measurement properties of wearable technology, modelled chronic disease risk to identify subpopulations who would particularly benefit from physical activity interventions, and studied the feasibility and impacts of delivering exercise in community dialysis units.

Current Research Projects

The Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization and death among older adults and are responsible for annual direct costs of $3.4 billion in Canada, $34 billion in the USA, and more than £2 billion in the UK. Fall-related injuries can lead to serious consequences for older adults, including increased risk of dependence in daily activities and mortality. Long-term care is a particularly high-risk environment – rates of falls and injuries are 2-3 times higher in long-term care residents than among community-dwelling older adults.

The Flooring for Injury Prevention (FLIP) Study is a 4-year randomized controlled trial that aims to determine the effect of compliant (‘safety’) flooring on fall-related injuries among residents of long-term care. We are conducting the FLIP Study in partnership with the New Vista Care Home in Burnaby, British Columbia, where 150 resident bedrooms underwent flooring renovations for this study in 2013. Since then, we have been tracking all falls and injuries in these bedrooms, as well as resulting healthcare utilization to diagnose and treat fall-related injuries. Ultimately, we seek to determine whether compliant flooring is an effective intervention for reducing the incidence and severity of fall-related injuries in long-term care, and if so, whether it is a wise investment.

Collaborators: Dr. Dawn Mackey, Dr. Stephen Robinovitch, Dr. Fabio Feldman, Dr. Andrew Laing, Dr. Chantelle Lachance, Dr. Joan Hu, Pet-Ming Leung, Leslie Karmazinuk

Funding: CIHR Team Grant in Strategic Teams in Applied Injury Research, CIHR Team Grant in Mobility and Aging, Fraser Health, the New Vista Society, the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, SATech, Inc.

Key Personnel: Rania Khelifi, Amanda Zacharuk, Emaan Abbasi, Kristina Collins, Peiwei Wang, Eva Habib, Jenna Chow, Valeriya Zaborska, Michal Jurkowski, Kelsey Aimar, Veronica Tsai

Publications: Injury Prevention, PLOS Medicine

Men on the Move

Men on the Move is a randomized controlled trial for inactive older men. We are evaluating the feasibility and health impacts of a 12-week choice-based physical activity intervention paired with an active transportation intervention on mobility and physical activity outcomes.

The choice-based physical activity intervention encourages older men to use existing community-based resources to create and implement actions plans for physical activity. It also provides ongoing face-to-face and telephone-based support from trained activity coaches and complimentary recreation passes.

The active transportation intervention provides personal travel planning and complimentary transit passes to promote use of public transportation and walking to destinations of interest. Men on the Move involves partnerships with the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association and community centres in Vancouver.

We are also conducting a number of ancillary studies to Men on the Move to learn more about supporting older men’s physical activity and mobility. These include a formative evaluation to understand the process of program implementation, a photovoice study to explore the meaning of mobility among older men, and an iPad study of repeated daily-life assessments to tap into psychological constructs related to physical activity.

Collaborators: Dr. Dawn Mackey, Dr. Heather McKay, Dr. Joanie-Sims Gould, Dr. Christianne Hoppman, Dr. Adrian Bauman.

Funding: CIHR Team Grant in Boys’ and Mens’ Health

Key Personnel: Alexander Perkins, Kara Delaney, Kaitlin Hong Tai

Publications: Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, American Journal of Men’s Health, Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine

The HealthySteps Study

The amount of energy required to walk a given distance (termed ‘energy cost of walking’) increases progressively with age. This can make walking and other daily activities fatiguing and contribute to diminished mobility.

We are conducting the HealthySteps Study to test whether specific forms of group-based exercise can reduce the energy cost of walking in older adults who report a mobility limitation (e.g., difficulty walking outside on level ground or climbing a flight of stairs without resting).

In this randomized controlled trial, one group of participants completes 12 weeks of twice-weekly ‘timing and coordination of gait training,’ and another group of participants completes 12 weeks of twice-weekly ‘outdoor aerobic walking’. At the end of the exercise program, we will compare the energy cost of walking and other measures of mobility in each of these intervention groups against a control group of participants who completes 12 weeks of twice-weekly stretching and relaxation. The results of this study will help to inform the design of exercise programs for older adults to promote mobility and make walking easier.

Collaborators: Dr. Dawn Mackey, Dr. Jessie van Swearingen, Dr. Jennifer Schrack

Funding: The Drummond Foundation, NSERC

Key Personnel: Kristina Collins, Michelle Pospisil, Veronica Tsai, Bonnie McCoy, Danielle Scheier, Debbie Sharun

Publications: Innovation in Aging

The STRIDES Study

The STRIDES Study (Step Tracking Reliability In DEvices worn by Seniors) is being conducted to determine the criterion validity and test-retest reliability of step counting in six commercial-grade activity monitors in mobility-intact and mobility-limited older adults during over-ground walking.

To assess criterion validity, participants will complete long-distance walks that mimic conditions experienced during daily walking. To assess test-retest reliability, participants will complete two shorter distance walks.

Results will help inform choices of activity monitors for future studies of older adults that aim to detect changes in activity levels, assess adherence to a physical activity program, quantify daily physical activity patterns, or use activity monitors as a motivational tool to support physical activity promotion.

Collaborators: Dr. Dawn Mackey, Dr. David Clarke, Dr. Scott Lear, Dr. Meghan Donaldson, Dr. Stirling Bryan

Funding: SFU President’s Research Start-up Grant, SFU Community Trust Endowment Fund (LiVWELL), NSERC, MSFHR Scholar Award

Key Personnel: Stephanie Maganja, Amandeep Gill, Kaitlin Hong Tai

Publications: JMIR Formative Research