Aquatic Exercises Combined With Cognitive Tasks for Older Adults

NCT ID: NCT07156708

Last Updated: 2025-09-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 98 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-09-05
• Study Completion Date: 2027-08-31

Brief Summary

The aquatic environment has characteristics that favor the adherence of older adults to exercise programs, and studies have shown that programs in this setting are effective in enhancing various aspects of physical fitness as well as cognitive function in this population. Research has explored whether incorporating cognitive tasks into an aquatic exercise program could offer additional benefits, but it remains uncertain whether this approach leads to greater improvements in cognitive function compared to aquatic exercises alone. The present protocol reports the WaterCog Study, which aims to evaluate the effects of an aquatic aerobic exercise program combined with cognitive tasks, compared to a conventional aquatic aerobic exercise program and a control group, on cognitive function and other health-related outcomes in older adults. This trial is a randomized, single-blinded, three-arm, parallel, superiority trial. A total of 98 older adults are randomized into one of three groups: 1) an aquatic aerobic exercise program combined with cognitive tasks, 2) a conventional aquatic aerobic exercise program, and 3) a control group. Participants in both exercise groups complete a 12-week exercise program with two weekly sessions on non-consecutive days. The primary outcome is cognitive function, while secondary outcomes include physical function, cardiovascular, and psychosocial parameters. Outcomes are measured at baseline, post-intervention, and at the 12-week follow-up after the end of the intervention period. The analysis plan will employ an intention-to-treat approach and per-protocol criteria. The conceptual hypothesis of the study is that both training programs will significantly improve the investigated outcomes compared to the control group. Additionally, it is expected that aquatic exercises with cognitive tasks will promote additional benefits in cognitive function, with similar gains in physical function, cardiovascular, and psychosocial parameters compared to conventional aquatic aerobic exercises in post-intervention and follow-up measures.

Conditions

Aging

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Aquatic aerobic exercise program combined with cognitive tasks

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aquatic aerobic exercise program

Intervention Type: OTHER

The aquatic exercise sessions include the following exercises: butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running. These exercises are commonly used in water aerobics classes and provide controlled osteoarticular impact, being safe for older women (Alberton et al., 2019). Training intensity is prescribed using Borg's 6-20 rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. The adopted strategy is based on interval training, which alternates between high-intensity effort and low-intensity active recovery phases. Each block consists of 4 minutes of effort (RPE 13 - 15), with one minute for each exercise (butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running) followed by 1 minute of active recovery (RPE 11), performed with stationary running. To facilitate monitoring, an RPE scale (measuring 0.90 × 1.20 m) is fixed to the outside of the pool, in front of the participants.

Cognitive tasks

Intervention Type: OTHER

This group performs the same aerobic training protocol used by the conventional aquatic program group. Additionally, cognitive tasks are performed during the active recovery phases. Cognitive training encompasses different domains of cognition in all sessions, including semantic fluency, processing speed, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, memory, attention, and reasoning. The exercises vary in each class, with progression in complexity in each mesocycle.

Conventional aquatic aerobic exercise program

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aquatic aerobic exercise program

Intervention Type: OTHER

The aquatic exercise sessions include the following exercises: butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running. These exercises are commonly used in water aerobics classes and provide controlled osteoarticular impact, being safe for older women (Alberton et al., 2019). Training intensity is prescribed using Borg's 6-20 rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. The adopted strategy is based on interval training, which alternates between high-intensity effort and low-intensity active recovery phases. Each block consists of 4 minutes of effort (RPE 13 - 15), with one minute for each exercise (butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running) followed by 1 minute of active recovery (RPE 11), performed with stationary running. To facilitate monitoring, an RPE scale (measuring 0.90 × 1.20 m) is fixed to the outside of the pool, in front of the participants.

Control group

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Aquatic aerobic exercise program

The aquatic exercise sessions include the following exercises: butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running. These exercises are commonly used in water aerobics classes and provide controlled osteoarticular impact, being safe for older women (Alberton et al., 2019). Training intensity is prescribed using Borg's 6-20 rating of perceived exertion (RPE) scale. The adopted strategy is based on interval training, which alternates between high-intensity effort and low-intensity active recovery phases. Each block consists of 4 minutes of effort (RPE 13 - 15), with one minute for each exercise (butt kick, frontal kick, cross-country skiing, and stationary running) followed by 1 minute of active recovery (RPE 11), performed with stationary running. To facilitate monitoring, an RPE scale (measuring 0.90 × 1.20 m) is fixed to the outside of the pool, in front of the participants.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Cognitive tasks

This group performs the same aerobic training protocol used by the conventional aquatic program group. Additionally, cognitive tasks are performed during the active recovery phases. Cognitive training encompasses different domains of cognition in all sessions, including semantic fluency, processing speed, cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, memory, attention, and reasoning. The exercises vary in each class, with progression in complexity in each mesocycle.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Older women aged 60 and 75 years;
• Being physically inactive, meaning not participating in physical exercise for at least six months (regular exercise is defined as engaging in any physical training for a minimum of 20 minutes on two or more days a week).

Exclusion Criteria

• History of cardiovascular disease (except controlled hypertension);
• Osteoarticular limitations for the practice of exercises;
• Being illiterate due to the self-completion questionnaires and the characteristics of the intervention;
• Diagnosis of dementia, schizophrenia, or major depressive disorder.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 60 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 75 Years
• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Federal University of Pelotas

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Cristine Lima Alberton

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Cristine L Alberton, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Federal University of Pelotas

Locations

Escola Superior de Educação Física e Fisioterapia

Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Brazil

Central Contacts

Mariana B Gomes

Role: CONTACT

marianaaaborba@gmail.com

5553999815166

Henrique S Ferreira

Role: CONTACT

henriquex2001@gmail.com

5553991211115

Facility Contacts

Cristine L Alberton, PhD

Role: primary

tinialberton@yahoo.com.br

5551984062864

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Other Identifiers

90526525.0.0000.5313

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id