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The effects of a walking/talking program on communication, ambulation, and functional status in residents with Alzheimer disease
Cott CA, Dawson P, Sidani S, Wells D.. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders, 2002-04-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a walking/talking program on residents' communication, ambulation, and level of function when there were two residents to one care provider (2:1). A randomized control trial design was used. Subjects were residents with Alzheimer disease in three geriatric long-term care facilities in Metropolitan Toronto. Residents who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to one of three groups: walk-and-talk group (30 min, 5 times per week for 16 weeks, walking/talking in pairs), talk-only group (30 min, 5 times per week for 16 weeks, talk only in pairs), or no intervention. The outcome measures were the Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults, the 2-min walk test, and London Psychogeriatric Rating Scale. Residents who received the walk-and-talk intervention did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in the outcome variables measured posttest when compared with residents who received the talk-only intervention or no intervention, even after controlling for individual differences. Variability in the outcomes measured posttest is explained by differences in the residents' level of cognitive impairment before the study rather than by study group membership. These findings are contradictory to those of previous studies.
Key findings
- Residents who received the walk-and-talk intervention did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in the outcome variables measured posttest when compared with residents who received the talk-only intervention or no intervention, even after controlling for individual differences.
- These findings are contradictory to those of previous studies.
Why it matters
In this trial of residents with Alzheimer's disease in long-term care, a 16-week walking and talking program produced no statistically significant differences in communication, ambulation, or functional status compared with a talking-only program or no intervention. These findings contradict some previous studies and suggest that this type of program may not improve these outcomes in this population.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 56/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer disease and associated disorders) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders: journal h-index 131 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2002 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 115 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 4.4 citations a year over 26 year(s) since 2002 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 8 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Donna Wells: h-index 6 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Toronto: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 12040303) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 56 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Cott, C. A., Dawson, P., Sidani, S., & Wells, D. (2002). The effects of a walking/talking program on communication, ambulation, and functional status in residents with Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002093-200204000-00005
Vancouver
Cott CA, Dawson P, Sidani S, Wells D. The effects of a walking/talking program on communication, ambulation, and functional status in residents with Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease and associated disorders. 2002. doi:10.1097/00002093-200204000-00005. PMID: 12040303.
BibTeX
@article{cott2002-12040303,
author = {Cott, C. A. and Dawson, P. and Sidani, S. and Wells, D.},
title = {{The effects of a walking/talking program on communication, ambulation, and functional status in residents with Alzheimer disease}},
journal = {Alzheimer disease and associated disorders},
year = {2002},
doi = {10.1097/00002093-200204000-00005},
pmid = {12040303},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1097/00002093-200204000-00005}
}
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