INTErGenererational intervention to Reduce frailTY trial (INTEGRITY)
The INTEGRITY trial’s main objective is to investigate whether, and to what degree, intergenerational practice can reduce frailty in the aging Australian population. Bringing together older adults and preschool children in multiple clusters for interventions on physical activity, cognitive training, healthy diet, and social engagement, the research team studies the potential of preventing frailty and improving older adults’ health and quality of life, while also improving children’s developmental skills. These results will help improve and inform current and future practice programs and form a foundation for an accessible online guide for communities.
Aim of the project
The aim of this study is to see whether intergenerational programs can improve health benefits for older adults and developmental skills for young children; to determine the effectiveness of a community-based multidomain intergenerational practice program in:
- Reducing older adult frailty
- Improving older adult cognition, quality of life, mood, social engagement, and reducing healthcare resources
- Improving preschool age child developmental skills, such as oral language, communication, and empathy skills
Location
Multiple sites across greater Sydney, Australia
Local setting
This is a cluster-randomized controlled trial bringing community-dwelling older adults and preschool children together in 44 preschools to engage in intergenerational activities.
The community-based INTEGRITY trial has been co-conceived and co-designed with a community and stakeholder team and will establish the first robust evidence for community-based multidomain intergenerational practice.
Organizations involved
The George Institute for Global Health, Australia, and the University of New South Wales, Australia
Principal Investigator (PI)
Ruth Peters, The George Institute for Global Health
Research team
The George Institute for Global Health:
Dr. Mei Ling (Mae) Lim
Dr. Amy Sparks
Nicole Ee
April Mallon
Sarah Kedwell
Duration of the intervention
5 months
Project start date
2023
Project end date
2027
Current stage of the project
Ongoing
Number of study participants
1,100 (estimated)
Target population
Community-dwelling adults aged 65 years or more and preschool children aged 3-4 years
Primary outcome
Change in frailty measures
Secondary outcomes
In adults:
- Individual cognitive domains
- Quality of life
- Mobility, balance and strength measures
- Mood
- Social engagement
- Loneliness
- Concerns about falling and falls
- Falls health literacy
- Sleep
- Health service use
- Goal attainment
In children:
- School readiness
- Expressive language skills
- Prosocial behaviour
Intervention
The intervention consists of 20 weeks of intergenerational sessions with one 2-hour session a week with 10 older adults and 10 preschool children at each participating preschool. The sessions are based within the Australian Government Early Years Learning Framework and allow for adaptation to child and adult interests.
Domains:
- Physical activity
- Cognitive training
- Social engagement
- Healthy diet
The intergenerational sessions allow the combining of multiple domains at the same time and are designed to be enjoyable.
Results
Results have not yet been published.
Acknowledgements
Funding by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
