REducing SEDENTary Behavior Among Mild to Moderate Cognitively Impaired Assisted Living Residents: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (RESEDENT Study)

Older adults in assisted living spend most of their day in sedentary behaviors, which may be detrimental to cognitive function. The primary purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of using a prompting device to reduce sitting time with light walking among older adults with mild to moderate cognitive impairment residing in an assisted living setting. A secondary purpose was to examine the effectiveness of the intervention on the residents’ cognitive function, physical function, and quality of life. The participants (n = 25, mean age = 86.7 [5.3] years) were assigned in clusters into a two-arm 10-week single-site pilot randomized controlled trial. The intervention group was prompted with a watch to interrupt sedentary behaviors and partake in 10 min of light physical activity (i.e., walking) three times a day after a meal. The assessments included hip-worn accelerometers (Actical) and diaries, the Alzheimer’s disease assessment scale—cognitive, Timed Up and Go, and the short-form 36 health survey. Adherence was high, as there were no dropouts, and over 70% of the participants completed over 80% of the prescribed physical activity bouts. Significant effects favoring the intervention were shown for all outcomes.