Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2019 Jan 7;19(1):5.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-018-1012-z.

Individualized counselling for active aging: protocol of a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial among older people (the AGNES intervention study)

Taina Rantanen  1 , Katja Pynnönen  2 , Milla Saajanaho  2 , Sini Siltanen  2 , Laura Karavirta  2 , Katja Kokko  2 , Anu Karvonen  2 , Markku Kauppinen  2 , Timo Rantalainen  2 , Merja Rantakokko  2 , Erja Portegijs  2 , Mary Hassandra  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Individualized counselling for active aging: protocol of a single-blinded, randomized controlled trial among older people (the AGNES intervention study)

Taina Rantanen et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: Active aging has been established as a policy goal for aging societies. We define active aging at the individual level as striving for elements of well-being through activities in relation to a person's goals, functional capacities and opportunities. Increasing evidence suggests that any meaningful activity is beneficial for different aspects of well-being in older people. The aim of the present randomized controlled trial is to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a one-year community-based intervention on active aging. The AGNES intervention aims at increasing older peoples' participation in self-selected valued activities.

Methods: The proposed study is a two-arm single-blinded randomized controlled trial. The intervention group receives individually tailored counselling for an active life (one face-to-face session, four phone calls and supportive written material) and the control group written general health information only. Two hundred older adults aged 75- and 80- year old, with intermediate mobility function and without cognitive impairment, living independently in the municipality of Jyväskylä, Finland, are recruited and randomized with a 1:1 allocation to the intervention and control group. Randomization is computer-generated stratified by sex and age. The primary outcome is active aging and secondary outcomes are well-being, depressive symptoms, quality of life, personal goals, mobility and physical activity. Measures are administered at pre-trial, mid-trial (at 6 months) and post-trial (12 months after baseline).

Discussion: The AGNES intervention study will provide new knowledge on the effects of individualized counselling on active aging and the potential of older people to promote their own well-being.

Trial registration: The trial is registered at ISRCTN - ISRCTN16172390 : Promoting well-being through active aging.

Keywords: Aging; Autonomy support; Behavior change; Individualized counselling; Mobility; Participation; Physical activity; Quality of life; Theory-based intervention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The ethical committee of the Central Finland Hospital district provided an ethical approval pertaining to the AGNES cohort and intervention studies on August 23, 2017. Consent to participate procedure starts after the laboratory assessments of the cohort study, with a short verbal briefing and written information, including a consent form that they can read at their leisure. Within 2 weeks, the intervention counsellor will call potential participants to confirm their willingness to participate in the study and, if necessary, to provide them with additional information on the study. Once the participant has provided verbal consent, the signed written informed consent form will be returned by post or in person. In case of important protocol changes, a new ethical statement will be requested and new informed consent procedures initiated for participants. The AGNES intervention study follows the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Approximate timeline of data collection in months and participant contacts by group in the AGNES intervention. Participant contacts are indicated with vertical lines
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Participant flow diagram in the AGNES intervention
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. UNECE statistics wikis. Active aging index [Internet]. 2017. [updated Nov 15; cited 23/04/2018]. Available from: https://statswiki.unece.org/display/AAI/Active+Ageing+Index+Home.
    1. WHO . Active ageing. A policy framework. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002. - PubMed
    1. Rantanen T, Äyräväinen I, Eronen J, Lyyra T, Törmäkangas T, Vaarama M, et al. The effect of an outdoor activities’ intervention delivered by older volunteers on the quality of life of older people with severe mobility limitations: A randomized controlled trial. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2015;27(2):161–169. - PubMed
    1. Rantanen T, Portegijs E, Kokko K, Rantakokko M, Tormakangas T, Saajanaho M. Developing an assessment method of active aging: University of Jyvaskyla active aging scale. J Aging Health. 2018:898264317750449. [Epub ahead of print]. 10.1177/0898264317750449. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ryan RM, Deci EL. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am Psychol. 2000;55(1):68–78. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Associated data