Stone-stepping, an activity in which people walk on a fixed, smooth cobblestone surface, is based on fundamental principles of traditional Chinese medicine that also underpin other forms of Chinese health- related activities, such as Tai Chi. Preliminary data based on a pilot study have indicated potential health-related benefits of this stonestepping activity. However, further research with a larger controlled trial is needed to substantiate its health and well-being benefits. The primary aims of the proposed study are, in a 4-month randomized controlled trial, to examine the effects of this novel activity on measures of balance, physical functioning, and health-related quality of life in older adults. One hundred community-dwellers aged 60 and over will be randomly assigned to one of two study conditions: (a) a cobblestone-mat walking group or (b) a wellness education (attention) control group. Participants in the experimental group will engage in a cobblestone-mat walking activity three times per week for 16 weeks. Primary outcome measurements include variables related to balance, physical functioning, and health-related quality of life, to be assessed before and immediately atter intervention. A repeated-measures ANOVA procedure will determine whether changes in outcomes take place over the 16-week intervention period. This study is unique because it represents an effort to offer a novel physical intervention to older adults, a population that has received few formal exercise interventions. The results from this study will substantiate preliminary evidence for the efficacy and feasibility of this novel physical activity in positively influencing selected health outcomes among the elderly. In addition, results are likely to provide support for the development of an added, low-cost, innovative exercise modality suitable for community setting to reduce or delay frailty in the older population.
| Li, Fuzhong; Fisher, K John; Harmer, Peter (2005) Improving physical function and blood pressure in older adults through cobblestone mat walking: a randomized trial. J Am Geriatr Soc 53:1305-12 |
