Join the MacM3 Study!

Title:

Technological Approaches for Advancing the Assessment of Early Mobility Limitation in Older Canadians: The McMaster Monitoring My Mobility – MacM3 – Prospective Cohort Study

Primary Investigator:

Marla Beauchamp, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University

Purpose:

Identification of older adults who are at high risk for early mobility decline is critical for effective primary prevention of disability later in life. Using a combination of wearable technology, in-person assessments, and phone questionnaires to capture mobility information from older adults, we seek to develop a system to detect early mobility limitations using wearables that could empower older adults to self-monitor their mobility.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Must be between the ages of 65 and 80 years old
• Must be living independently in the community (i.e., not living in a nursing home)
• Must live in the Hamilton area (i.e., within 50km of McMaster Innovation Park – see map below)
• Must speak and understand the English language (Note: in the future we will also be accepting participants who speak and understand Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Korean, Spanish, and Bengali)

What to expect:

• The duration of the study is 2-years (24-months) in total
• Your participation is completely voluntary – you can withdraw consent at any time

You will…

• Wear a smartwatch device on the wrist for 10-days every 4-months (up to 7-times) for the duration of the study.
• Have the option of wearing a second activity monitoring device on the thigh at the same time you are wearing the smartwatch 
• Answer a series of questionnaires about your health and mobility over the phone and online, and come to our research facilities at McMaster Innovation Park (MIP, see the location section below for directions) for an in-person physical assessment at the beginning of the study (baseline) and yearly (year 1 at 12-months, and year 2 at 24-months). 

Examples of physical assessment activities:

Location:

Compensation:

Participants will receive a $25 grocery store gift card at their at the in-person physical assessments (i.e., baseline, 1 year, and 2-year), for a total of $75 in gift cards over the course of the study.

By participating in this study, participants will have an option to receive custom annual reports showing insights on the data collected about their mobility during the study. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn more about their own mobility level using cutting-edge technology and interact with world-class mobility researchers.

Our commitment:

We are committed to including racially and ethnically diverse participants, and engaging participants with dignity and respect. Your data will be kept private, safe, and anonymous. By participating, you help to increase the representation of your community in mobility research. 

The Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board has reviewed this research study under project #13905.