Recruiting

Otago Exercise Program

Sponsor:

Binghamton University

Code:

NCT07433153

Conditions

Frail Elderly

Fall

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 55+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Smartphone-Based Intervention

Group-Based Intervention

Study Details

Brief summary:

The long-term goal of this project is to effectively bridge the research-clinic-community gap and to foster partnerships that support the implementation, utilization, and advocacy of evidence-based fall prevention programs in the older adult community. The Otago Exercise Program (OEP) is an evidence-based fall prevention program that has been shown to reduce falls and fall-related injuries among older adults. Traditionally, OEP is delivered in the home by a physical therapist and focuses on muscle strengthening and balance training. Despite its proven effectiveness, adherence and compliance rates have been low. The personnel and resource demands of program delivery, along with challenges in monitoring participant adherence, represent significant barriers to broader implementation. Alternative delivery systems using remote and community-based platforms may help address these limitations.

Specific Aim 1: To compare the effectiveness of two delivery modes of the Otago Exercise Program: a remotely delivered, home-based smartphone program and an in-person, community-based program.

Specific Aim 2: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the Otago Exercise Program delivered through both smartphone-based and in-person formats.

Conditions

Frail Elderly

Fall

Study ID

NCT07433153

Start date

Feb 16, 2026

Status verified date

Aug, 2026

Completion date

Dec 1, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec 1, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 55+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Community-dwelling older adults 55 years of age or older
  • Communicate in English
  • Able to ambulate at least 10 meters with or without an assistive device.
  • Cognitively intact based on scoring 18/22 or greater on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)-Blind during a phone screening process
  • Have access to an Android or iOS smartphone
  • Intermediate or high risk of falling, based on World Guidelines for Falls Prevention (Montero-Odasso et al, 2022)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Lower limb amputation
  • Visual impairment uncorrectable with lenses
  • Uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, neurological or musculoskeletal impairment
  • Persistent symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Spine or lower-extremity surgery in the past 12 months
  • Self-reported pain of >7 on a scale of 0-10

Study Design

Enrollment

36 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Smartphone In-home Delivery

In-home 8-week OTAGO program

active comparator: Group In-Person Delivery

In-Person 8-week Group OTAGO Program

Interventions

Smartphone-Based Intervention

Participants in the smartphone-based group will receive Otago Exercise Program instructions delivered through Improve, an investigator-developed application. This application, installed on each participant's iOS or Android smartphone, will allow participants to track their exercises and review workout instructions. Participants in the smartphone-based group will be contacted weekly by phone to ensure safety and adherence and to assist with troubleshooting any technology-related issues. All participants will be instructed to maintain their usual activity patterns and to refrain from initiating any new structured physical activity programs during the 8-week study period. Participants will be directed by Doctor of Physical Therapy students under the supervision of a licensed Physical Therapist, with weekly phone check-ins.

Group-Based Intervention

Participants in the in-person, community-based group will complete the individualized Otago Exercise Program in a group setting at the Johnson City Senior Center, under the guidance of Doctor of Physical Therapy students (4) and supervision of licensed Physical Therapists.

Primary outcome measure

  • Gait Velocity [ Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0) and 1 week post-training (9 weeks later) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Vipul Lugade, PhD

16077774700vlugade@binghamton.edu

Patima Silsupadol, PT, PhD

patimas@binghamton.edu

Locations

Binghamton University

Recruiting

Binghamton, New York, United States, 13902

Contacts

Vipul Lugade, PhD

6077774700vlugade@binghamton.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Binghamton University

Last update posted

Aug 25, 2026

Last verified

Aug, 2026

Keywords

  • Otago
  • Falls
  • Smartphone
  • Group Exercise
  • Balance
  • Stepping

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Binghamton University on 2026-08-25.