Note: This study is currently only recruiting patients in the hospital.

If you are interested in being notified if this study begins recruiting from the general population, please use the 'I Am Interested' button below.

In-Person Exercise for Older Adults

During this study, participants will engage in a low-impact exercise program for older adults for 90 minutes, three times a week for 8-weeks. We will also ask participants to complete some surveys, wear a watch, and complete physical tests.

Massachusetts General Hospital Exercise and Physical Fitness Older Adult Health Exercise for Older Adults
24 days over 8 weeks
Estimated Time Commitment
Female, Male, Transgender Female, Transgender Male, Nonbinary, Intersex, Gender-expansive, 55-99 years
May Be Eligible
Payment up to $120
May Be Offered
Survey, Office visit, Personal health tracking
May Be Required
 
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Enrollment for this study is expected to close on Sunday, February 22, 2026

Overview

What we are studying

We are studying the feasibility and acceptability of an established exercise program tailored for older adults from diverse communities, as well of a novel online platform to support. 


Why it is important

Older adults are less likely to meet their age-specific physical activity (PA) guidelines compared to younger adults. Older adults are particularly sensitive to reductions in PA because we lose approximately 50% of muscle mass between the ages of 20 and 90 years. These data are concerning because lower extremity strength and mobility are both risk factors for falls, and mobility is also an independent risk factor for mortality. Lack of PA is also associated with obesity, anxiety, depression, overall poorer quality of life, and cognitive decline. 


PA can counteract these negative effects of aging. PA is associated with improved glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, cholesterol, and improved body composition (e.g., muscle strength) in older adults. Importantly older adults show similar or greater strength gains compared with young individuals. There are also cognitive and psychological improvements with increased PA, and PA protects from chronic diseases (e.g., Type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, cardiovascular disease, cancer). As a result, PA is considered a primary strategy to prevent chronic health conditions and improve overall health. 


While the 8-week, F&S! exercise program is considered acceptable, feasible and effective in improving PA and related health outcomes in older adults in diverse, community settings, there is no support for participants’ exercise goals after this 8-week program ends. Importantly, although the gains from the 8-week, F&S! exercise program are good (i.e., participants increase their PA), they are not maintained at the follow-up visit. 


Thus, we developed an online platform to support the 8-week, F&S! exercise program called the Healthy Activity Improves Lives (HAIL) online platform and recently completed a study to evaluate its feasibility and acceptability. In this study, we will evaluate the efficacy of the HAIL online platform, by conducting a randomized trial comparing the F&S! program plus the HAIL online platform versus the F&S! program alone in four, racially diverse churches or senior centers. 


What we hope to accomplish

We hope to examine feasibility and acceptability as well as explore efficacy to increase PA for older adults in racially diverse communities. Our secondary aim is to examine the efficacy of the HAIL online platform in maintaining exercise in older adults in racially diverse communities. 

Principal Investigator

Louisa G Sylvia, PhD

Massachusetts General Hospital

Public Profile

Project Contact

Click I Am Interested "I Am Interested" "I Am Interested" to get started. If you have questions, contact:

Sofia Montinola

amontinola@mgh.harvard.edu
(617) 724-9033

Who can participate


  1. Individuals over the age of 55 years.

  2. Participants are able to travel to one of the churches or senior centers for the in-person F&S! exercise sessions.

  3. Participants cannot be currently participating in a regular PA program (i.e., at least 100 min per week of moderate to vigorous physical activities).


Healthy Volunteers

Healthy volunteers are eligible for this study

Who cannot participate


  1. Participants do not understand study procedures or are unable to participate in the verbal consent process (e.g., unable to read either English or Spanish).

  2. Participants must have a physician responsible for their medical care.

  3. Participants endorse an item on the Revised Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (rPAR-Q) as confirmed by their treating physician. 

  4. Participants who report any contraindication to exercising (e.g., recent ECG changes or myocardial infarction, unstable angina, uncontrolled arrhythmias, third degree heart block, congestive heart failure.

  5. Participants who receive a score lower than 28 on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS) during pre-screening.

What you may be asked to do


  • Participants will be asked to attend three in-person exercise classes a week for 8 weeks. These sessions will be 90 minutes long: 30 minutes of psychoeducation onhealthy living, and 60 minutes of aerobic and strengthening exercise. 

  • Participants will be asked to complete study assessments at three timepoints: the week before the program starts (“week 0”), at the end of the program (“week 8”) and at a 3 month follow-up (“week 20”).

  • These assessments will include short questionnaires, one semi-structured interview, and some minor physical tests (for example, one test asks participants to walk around in a small circle for 6 minutes)

  • Participants will also be given actigraph watches for one week during each time point.  These are wearable devices that will track the number of steps each participant takes.

  • All assessments will be completed electronically. We are able to provide participants with tablets to complete the assessments and will also provide assistance to participants who are not tech-savvy. 


Project activities may include:

  • Survey
  • Office visit
  • Personal health tracking

Estimated Time Commitment

24 days over 8 weeks

What You May Get

Participants will be paid $40 for each timepoint that they complete assessments, for a total of $120 if they complete assessments for all three timepoints

Location

St Paul AME
37 Bishop Allen Dr, Cambridge, MA 02139

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Resurrection Lutheran Church
94 Warren St, Roxbury, MA 02119

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Travel

  • Accessible by public transportation
  • Parking available

Travel and Parking Details

Participants will need to travel three times a week form 8-weeks to the study location. 

Additional Information

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT06267547


Participating Institutions


Funding Source

  • NIH or Other Federal
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