Reducing Sedentary Behaviour and Cognition in Older People

Introduction Sedentary behaviour refers to activities of low energy expenditure in lying and sitting positions. Examples include driving, watching television, playing cards, puzzles and working on a computer. Studies suggest that between 60% of older people world-wide reported sitting for more than four hours per day. Sedentary behaviour increases as older people become older, have problems with cognition and when they are very ill. Excessive participating in sedentary behaviours is associated with an increased risk of heart problem, cancer death and diabetes. However, we do not know for certain whether or not participating in sedentary behaviour could cause poorer cognition. What does the study hope to achieve? This feasibility study will test whether the main study, which is planned for later, is workable with regards to the following: * Will reducing sedentary behaviour using our online health coaching intervention (WALC-R) be acceptable to research participants and caregivers? * How many participants can be successfully recruited to the future trial? * What is the rate of adverse event associated with proposed study intervention? Method: This is a 13-week randomised feasibility study. We will randomly assign study participants to either the health coaching intervention (WALC-R) or receiving health guidelines on recommended physical activity. We aim to recruit 40 participants aged 50 and over who have been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. The future main study will be larger and test whether: • \'WALC-R\', an online intervention designed to reduce participation in sedentary behaviour can improve cognitive function in older people with Mild Cognitive Impairment compared with providing an information sheet about physical activity.