A 3-month Cycle of Weekly Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Tours

NCT ID: NCT04298047

Last Updated: 2024-02-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 128 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-12-31

Brief Summary

Social isolation in older community-members living in urban areas and its possible reduction through a 3-month cycle of weekly museum tours.

Detailed Description

Social isolation is a major problem for the Canadian society because of its: (1) high prevalence in the older population (30% in individuals aged 65 and over, which represents 1.5 million individuals), (2) association with a wide range of mental and physical health problems and (3) increased use of health and social services. Museum art-based activities have demonstrated benefits on an individual's sense of social inclusion, their well-being, their quality of life and physical frailty. Few studies have examined the effects of the participation in museum art-based activities in older community members experiencing social isolation. In 2019, the team conducted an experimental pilot study comprised of pre-post intervention, single arm, prospective and a longitudinal follow-up. This experiment indicated that a 3-month cycle of weekly visits to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) in the form of a guided tour may improve the social inclusion of socially isolated older adults. We hypothesize that it is possible to reproduce these previous positive results using a mixed methods approach that combines: (1) a qualitative phase comprised of observation of the guided tours; semi-structured interviews, focus groups and an analysis of relevant organizational documents; (2) a quantitative phase based on a randomized clinical trial (RCT). Over a two-year period, we will examine whether and how a 3-month cycle of weekly MMFA tours may (1) improve social inclusion, well-being and quality of life, and (2) reduce frailty in older community members, living in Montreal, who are experiencing social isolation. The study includes the participation of community workers who work with socially isolated older Montrealers, members of this community, as well as museum works and administrators. Our research will not only include information on how the museum experience has affected older adults. It will incorporate feedback from all of these participants leading to an evaluation of the program offered by the museum to better serve the future needs and desires of this population. It will also benefit the participating organizations.

Conditions

Social Interaction; Quality of Life; Health

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Intervention group

The participants in the Intervention group will be participants of the MMFA participatory art-based activity.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

participatory art-based activity

Intervention Type: OTHER

The intervention is a 3-month cycle of weekly guided tours carried out at the MMFA. Each visit will be performed with a group of 8 participants and a trained guide. They will meet at the museum once per week for a 45 min museum guided tour during a 3-month period. Each visit will be different and supervised by a museum guide. Regardless the topic of the visits, each visit will be standardized and separated in two consecutive phases: (1) Presentation of the objectives of the activity and (2) tour with a guide. Guided tours will target visual art (i.e., painting). They will be tailor-made and based on emotions and interactions in front of painting. The levels of information given to participants will regularly (i.e., each month) increase during the 3-month cycle of museum guided tours. The participants will be separated in 8 groups of 8 individuals per week. The same guide will manage each group of 8 participants during the 12 planned visits.

Control Group

The Control arm will be composed of older community dwellers matched on age and sex compared to the Intervention group but who will not be participants at the MMFA participatory art-based activity.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

participatory art-based activity

The intervention is a 3-month cycle of weekly guided tours carried out at the MMFA. Each visit will be performed with a group of 8 participants and a trained guide. They will meet at the museum once per week for a 45 min museum guided tour during a 3-month period. Each visit will be different and supervised by a museum guide. Regardless the topic of the visits, each visit will be standardized and separated in two consecutive phases: (1) Presentation of the objectives of the activity and (2) tour with a guide. Guided tours will target visual art (i.e., painting). They will be tailor-made and based on emotions and interactions in front of painting. The levels of information given to participants will regularly (i.e., each month) increase during the 3-month cycle of museum guided tours. The participants will be separated in 8 groups of 8 individuals per week. The same guide will manage each group of 8 participants during the 12 planned visits.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Being 65 years and over

2. Having an Internet access with an electronic device (i.e.; laptop, computer, smartphone, tablet) at the participant's place of living as the repetitive assessments for this study will be performed on the web platform of the Centre of Excellence on Longevity of McGill University

3. Understanding and writing the language of the recruitment centre (i.e., French or English)

4. Life expectancy estimated over 3 months as the duration of the follow-up is 3 months

Exclusion Criteria

1. Concomitant participation to another clinical trial,

2. Having participated to a participatory art-based activity of the MMFA,

3. Not speaking the language of the study.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Jewish General Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Olivier Beauchet

MD, PhD, Professor of Geriatrics, Holder of the Dr. Joseph Kaufmann Chair in Geriatric Medicine Clinician Scientist, Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine Director of Centre of Excellence on Longevity, RUISSS McGill, McGill University

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Olivier Beauchet, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

McGill University

Locations

Jewish General Hospital

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Countries

Canada

Other Identifiers

20201789

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id