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Table 3 Participant feedback

From: Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the LEAD trial: a cluster randomized controlled lifestyle intervention to improve hippocampal volume in older adults at-risk for dementia

Questions

Responses

Exercise feedback (n = 14)

Did the exercise class provide you with new skills or useful knowledge?

Yes = 14

No = 0

Were you given adequate resources to continue your exercise routine outside of in-person sessions?

Yes = 14

No = 0

What part of the sessions did you find most interesting/useful?

Receiving individualized exercise prescription (4)

Learning to monitor heart rate (3)

Attending exercise education (3)

Utilizing the walking track (1)

Access to exercise equipment at TRI (1)

Receiving proper instruction/demonstration (1)

Learning resistance training (1)

Progress assessments and feedback (1)

Staff encouragement (1)

Which part of the sessions did you find least interesting/useful?

Resistance training (1)

Some of the education lectures (1)

Other members in class not having comparable fitness levels (1)

What were some of the challenges following the exercise program?

Maintaining a regular schedule / exercising daily (3)

Keeping up with resistance training (2)

Adjusting program to cater to health issues (2)

Slowing down and not over exercising (2)

Pain after exercise (1)

Doing exercises in winter (1)

Exercising consistently during the summer, best time for gardening (1)

The rigor of the baseline evaluation and required workouts aggravated my OA (1)

Increasing heart rate (1)

Exercising [at home] without gym equipment (1)

DIET feedback (n = 7)

Did the sessions provide you with new skills or useful knowledge?

Yes = 7

No = 0

Did the goal setting approach help you make dietary changes?

Yes = 7

No = 0

Were you provided with adequate information resources to follow the study diet?

Yes = 7

No = 0

The length of the weekly sessions was…

Adequate = 4

Too long = 1

Too short = 2

The number of individual sessions with the dietitian were…

Adequate = 6

Too few = 1

Too many = 0

Would you recommend this intervention to other concerned about their memory?

Yes = 7

No = 0

Which part of the sessions did you find most interesting/useful?

Emphasis on fruits and nuts (2)

Gradual change (1)

Limited goals each week (1)

The cooking handouts (1)

Learning foods to limit (1)

The importance of oils (1)

Good input and questions from fellow participants (1)

Sharing information/resources with each other (1)

Which part of the sessions did you find least interesting/useful?

The recipes and cooking advice (1)

Need more info on switching from meat eater to vegetable eater (1)

Clarification on healthy food myths (1)

What were some of your challenges following the study diet?

Eating the required fruits and vegetables (2)

Reducing sugar, butter, and meat (1)

Meal planning and meeting my personal goals (1)

Making sure the required groceries were available (especially difficult during COVID restrictions) (1)

Following recipes (1)

IT difficulties during remote sessions (1)

Avoiding highly processed foods (1)

If this intervention is repeated, what should be left out, added, or changed?

More info on the process/psych of change and goal setting (2)

More emphasis on the scope of change contemplated (1)

More incorporation of individual cultural foods (1)

Wish it would move faster (1)

ED Feedback (n = 7)

Did the sessions provide you with new skills or useful knowledge?

Yes = 7

No = 0

The length of the weekly sessions was…

Adequate = 6

Too long = 1

Too short = 0

The number of individual sessions with the dietitian were…

Adequate = 6

Too few = 1

Too many = 0

Would you recommend this intervention to others concerned about their memory?

Yes = 7

No = 0

Which part of the sessions did you find most interesting/useful?

Information on sleep (2)

Talks about how seniors can improve/maintain their memory (1)

Procedural memory sessions (1)

Provoked curiosity to learn more (1)

Lectures about the brain [anatomy] (1)

Which part of the sessions did you find least interesting/useful?

Technical information about the brain (1)

Sessions on different types of memory (1)

If this intervention is repeated, what should be left out, added, or changed?

Leave out the review session (1)

Add specific exercises one can do to improve brain functioning/memory (1)

Add emerging brain health knowledge/information (1)