Personalized home exergame program to improve balance and thinking in frail older adults
Official title: S.M.A.R.T: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial of Personalized Cognitive-Motor Exergame Training in Frail Community-Dwelling Adults
Run by Swiss Federal Institute of Technology · NCT07074639 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This program will test whether a personalized, home-based exergame training helps frail adults improve balance and their thinking-and-movement skills.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 50 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 344 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Zurich) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | June 16, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | May 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | July 20, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07074639 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are community-dwelling adults aged 50 or older with frailty (Fried score ≥3 and/or MoCA 10–25) who can give informed consent, understand game instructions, and have internet access and a TV or large screen at home.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with severe mobility or sensory impairments, advanced dementia or other comorbidities that prevent safe participation, or those without the required home technology are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This is a pragmatic, multicenter randomized controlled trial that will enroll 344 frail adults across five European countries and randomize them to a personalized cognitive-motor exergame program or the Otago Exercise Program for 12 weeks. The intervention is delivered at home via games on a TV or large screen and tailored to each participant's abilities. The primary outcome is balance, with secondary outcomes including cognitive and motor fall-risk factors, fall incidence, cost-effectiveness, and psychosocial measures. Participants must be able to consent, understand game instructions, and have internet access and a compatible screen at home.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could improve balance, reduce falls, and help preserve cognitive and functional independence in frail older adults.
How similar studies have gone: Previous smaller trials of dual-task and exergame approaches have shown promising effects on balance and cognition, but large multicenter randomized trials in frail populations remain limited.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 50 years and older * Fried Frailty Phenotype score 3 or higher and/or MoCA score between 10-25 * Must be able to give informed consent * Access to internet and a TV/large screen at home Exclusion Criteria: * Mobility limitations (e.g., severe arthritis or lower extremity amputation) * Cognitive limitations (e.g., advanced Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal/Lewy body/vascular dementia) * Sensory limitations (e.g., color-blindness, complete hearing loss and neuropathy causing significant loss of sensation) * Psychiatric limitations (e.g., acute, or uncontrolled affective disorders) * Comorbidities that would impair their ability to engage in the training * Simultaneous participation in other clinical trials/intervention studies * Inability to understand game instructions and play the games safely, based on judgement of a therapist
Where it's running
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Institute of Human Movement Sciences and Sport, ETH Zürich
Zurich, Switzerland Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Eleftheria Giannouli, PhD — ETH Zurich
- Study coordinator: Eleftheria Giannouli, PhD
- Email: eleftheria.giannouli@hest.ethz.ch
- Phone: +41 44 633 90 58
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.