Table 2 Examples of pilot and feasibility studies involving physical activity

Connolly et al. [7]

In-patients with intensive care unit-acquired weakness

Exercise-based rehabilitation program (EBRP)

Standard care

Recruitment, adherence to the EBRP, adverse events, patient exercise time per session, educational sessions, patient acceptability, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life.

12 weeks

Unspecified

Granger et al. [15]

In-patients undergoing lung resection for cancer

Standard care physiotherapy, plus twice daily in-patient exercise program, plus twice weekly out-patient exercise program, plus unsupervised home based exercise program*

*Randomization occurred on the first day after surgery

Standard care physiotherapy*

*Randomization occurred on the first day after surgery

Safety: Number of adverse events during exercise testing and exercise training.

Feasibility: Recruitment rate, consent rate, number of inpatient exercise sessions delivered, and participant attendance at outpatient sessions.

Secondary outcomes included functional capacity, functional mobility, and health-related quality of life.

10 weeks

Unspecified

Patten et al. [10]

Females, 18–55 years of age, smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day for at least the past year, willing to quit, currently depressed as defined by the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (cutoff score of at least 16), and not meeting the American College of Sports Medicine exercise guidelines.

Evidence-based cessation counseling plus exercise intervention

Evidence-based cessation counseling (exercise was not discussed) plus health education

Feasibility: participant recruitment, study retention, and treatment adherence.

In addition, measured smoking status, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, body mass index, physical activity, and depressive symptoms.

12 weeks

Unspecified

Barker et al. [8]

Community-dwelling older adults (≥ 60 years of age) at risk of sustaining a fall injury and able to climb 10 stairs independently.

A 60-min Pilates class twice a week for 12 weeks delivered in a group setting plus a 20-min tailored home-based exercises to complete on a daily basis.

20-min tailored home-based exercises to complete on a daily basis.

Feasibility: acceptability was measured based on recruitment, retention, intervention adherence, and participant experience survey.

Safety: adverse events.

Potential effectiveness: fall, fall injury and injurious fall rates, standing balance, lower limb strength, and flexibility.

24 weeks

Unspecified

Suttanon et al. [11]

Community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease who could walk outdoors with minimal support (no more than a single-point stick). Also, they cannot have any serious orthopedic conditions or major neurological disorders that could limit their functional mobility.

Individualized home-based exercise program with intermittent supervision

Home-based education program

Feasibility: adverse events, balance, mobility, falls, and falls risk

24 weeks

Unspecified

Giangregorio et al. [9]

Women who are 65 years of age or older with a vertebral fracture.

Home-based exercise and behavioral counseling with intermittent supervision

Same number and duration of visits and calls but were not exercise related.

Feasibility: recruitment, retention and exercise adherence. Secondary outcomes: fractures, falls, posture, physical performance, quality of life, pain, health service use, behavior change variables and fall self-efficacy.

52 weeks

Recruitment: recruit 20 participants per site.

Retention: ≥ 75% of the study sample completes visit 2.

Adherence: ≥ 60% of the number of exercises to be completed at the 1-year follow-up.