Improving recruitment, retention, and adherence to 6-month cycling in Alzheimer's disease

There is a pressing need to establish recruitment, retention, and adherence feasibility to inform clinical trials that will evaluate how exercise affects the symptoms and disease trajectory in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This paper reported the recruitment rate, retention, and adherence from a 6-month cycling study in community-dwelling older adults with mild-to-moderate AD using a single-group, repeated-measures design. Seven recruitment strategies were tested. Participants were prescribed an individualized, 15–45-min moderate intensity cycling 3 times a week for 6 months. The results showed a 1.87 recruitment rate (No. of participants recruited per month per site), 78.6% retention (No. of completers/No. of enrolled participants), and 86.4% adherence (number sessions meeting prescription dose/total number of sessions). The findings addressed a major gap in aerobic exercise studies in AD. Successful recruitment relies on community partnership, whereas strategies for ensuring participant exercise safety collectively improved retention and adherence.