PERSONAL AGILITY
Maintaining function and participation through tailored 24-hour physical behaviours for people living with multiple cardiorenal metabolic conditions and frailty (The PERSONAL-AGILITY study).
Study title
The number of people living with two or more chronic conditions (also called multiple long-term conditions) is increasing. Multiple long-term conditions can affect people’s:
ability to ‘bounce back’ from illness
independence
quality of life.
People living with multiple long-term conditions are also more likely to have additional care needs.
24-hour health behaviours include all the ways we might move through a typical day, from limited/no movement to high-intensity activities. These behaviours are:
sleep
sitting/ breaking up prolonged sitting (also termed sedentary behaviour)
stepping (walking)
sweating (moderate to vigorous physical activity)
strengthening (resistance exercise)
Supporting people with multiple long-term conditions to improve their ‘24-hour health behaviours’ may improve their health, wellbeing, independence and quality of life.
Informal carer support can improve the 24-hour health behaviours of the people they care for. For carers themselves, improving 24-hour health behaviours can also:
positively influence some of the physical and mental wellbeing challenges linked with caring.
help to reduce carers risk of developing multiple long-term conditions themselves or support them to manage existing ones.
Despite this, there are many barriers to being active and getting sufficient sleep if you are both living with, and caring for someone with, multiple long-term conditions. There is currently limited support for and very little research in this area.
Background
We have developed the PERSONAL-AGILITY intervention which:
helps people to understand and track their personal health, wellbeing, and 24-hour physical behaviours (stepping, sweating, strengthening, sitting, and sleeping) with support from a healthcare professional or trained researcher.
allows people to decide what aspects of the 24-hour physical behaviours matter most to them. The support they receive will then focus on this and be specific to their needs.
supports people to access activities groups and services that interest them in their local communities.
The aim of this study is to:
Assess participants’ satisfaction with the PERSONAL-AGILITY intervention: Understand if participants enjoy and value their experience with the program.
Evaluate the feasibility of conducting a larger study: Determine the practicality and logistical aspects of a full-scale trial of the PERSONAL-AGILITY intervention in the future.
The findings from this study will guide improvements to the PERSONAL-AGILITY program and help design a more effective and participant-friendly larger-scale study.
Study aims
Taking part in this study involves:
Attending three study appointments over six months:
Baseline (the start of the study)
12 weeks
24 weeks
If you are randomly assigned to the intervention group, you will meet with a healthcare professional or trained researcher. Together, you will:
Review your health, daily routines, and what matters most to you.
Identify which aspects of your daily behaviours you'd like to improve, for example, increasing activity, breaking up long periods of sitting, or improving sleep.
You will be supported to use a variety of helpful resources, including:
Online tools to track your progress.
A Fitbit to help you understand your movement and rest patterns.
Personalised videos and educational materials tailored to your needs and preferences.
You choose what to work on — whether it is moving more, sitting less, or getting better rest — and your support will be tailored to your priorities.
You may also be connected with local groups or services that support your wellbeing based on what you enjoy.
Participants can join alone or as a carer-patient pair, and all appointments are flexible and can be done at home or at the Leicester Diabetes Centre. We will reimburse your time for travel/ expenses for study visits. Some people in the intervention group might be asked to take part in an interview. This is optional and we will reimburse you for your time (£20 voucher).
Study summary
Study progress
This study is currently recruiting participants. If you are:
Over 18 years old
living with two or more long-term conditions, one of which is Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
and
experience challenges bouncing back from illness or injury, or health issues or
be finding daily tasks more challenging, feeling more tired, and slowed up.
You may be eligible to take part. PERSONAL-AGILITY uses online tools with in-person and phone support from a healthcare professional or researcher. To be able to take part you need to be willing to use the online tools. If you can’t access to the internet, we can provide equipment and resources. We will support you if you are not confident online.
If you have a friend or family member who provides unpaid help, they may also be able to take part. This is because we want to find out whether PERSONAL-AGILITY is suitable and helpful for carers too. If you don’t have a carer this does not mean you can’t take part.
If you would like to find out more, without obligation to take part, please email personalagility@uhl-tr.nhs.uk
Funding and sponsorship
The study is sponsored by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, and funded by the National Institute of Health and Care Research.
Study publications
Young, H.M., Henson, J., Dempsey, P.C., Willis, S.A., Billany, R.E., Curtis, F., Gray, L., Greenwood, S., Herring, L.Y., Highton, P. and Kelsey, R.J., 2024. Physical activity and sedentary behaviour interventions for people living with both frailty and multiple long-term conditions and their informal carers: a scoping review and stakeholder consultation. Age and ageing, 53(11),p.afae255.
https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/53/11/afae255/7903415