Development, implementation and evaluation of the online Movement, Interaction and Nutrition for Greater Lifestyles in the Elderly (MINGLE) program: The protocol for a pilot trial

Abstract

Introduction People with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are more likely to experience loneliness, have poorer diets and be less physically active than people without AMD. The online Movement, Interaction and Nutrition for Greater Lifestyles in the Elderly (MINGLE) program is a holistic evidence-based intervention aiming to support people with AMD by incorporating physical activity, social interaction and nutrition education components all delivered via a COVID-19-safe Zoom platform. This study will involve two phases: 1) a formative qualitative study with AMD patients to identify the barriers and facilitators to participating in the proposed MINGLE program; and 2) a 10-week pilot study to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and preliminary efficacy of MINGLE. Methods and analysis Phase 1 involves AMD patients who will be recruited from an eye clinic in Western Sydney, Australia to participate in audio-recorded semi-structured interviews. Verbatim interview transcripts will be coded using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and themes established. These themes will be used as a guide to specifically tailor the proposed MINGLE program to people with AMD. Phase 2 involves 52 AMD patients who will then be recruited from the same clinic to participate in the MINGLE program. Pre-post questionnaires will be administered to intervention participants to collect information on the following variables: demographics, socioeconomic status, vision function, loneliness, quality of life (including depression), falls risk, physical activity (level), and dietary intake. The acceptability and feasibility of the MINGLE program will also be evaluated using descriptive statistics. Trial registration number ACTRN12621000939897p.

Barriers and enablers to participation in a proposed online lifestyle intervention for older adults with age-related macular degeneration

“…Some older adults perceive physical activity as being unnecessary and even harmful (Franco et al, 2015). Hence, the MINGLE program will be facilitated by an Accredited Exercise Physiologist who will tailor the exercises for each participant based on their current health status so that participants can experience the benefits of physical activity without being limited by pain (Tang et al, 2022). This has been shown to increase older adults' confidence and facilitate a more positive attitude towards physical activity (Conn et al, 2003;Franco et al, 2015).…”

“…The proposed MINGLE program is a 10-week program which will be delivered online, consisting of weekly sessions involving group exercise, socialisation and education about diet and AMD. Further details of the proposed MINGLE program can be found in the published protocol paper (Tang et al, 2022).…”

Understanding barriers and enablers to participation in a proposed online lifestyle intervention for older adults with age-related macular degeneration to guide programme implementation

“…The proposed MINGLE programme is a 10-week programme which will be delivered online, consisting of weekly sessions involving group exercise, socialisation and education about diet and AMD. Further details of the proposed MINGLE programme can be found in the published protocol paper (Tang et al, 2022).…”