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Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
ACTRN12625000109404p
Ethics application status
Not yet submitted
Date submitted
9/01/2025
Date registered
31/01/2025
Date last updated
31/01/2025
Date data sharing statement initially provided
31/01/2025
Type of registration
Prospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Acceptability of balance-enhancing indoor shoes compared to minimalist indoor shoes in older women: a randomised crossover trial
Scientific title
Acceptability of balance-enhancing indoor shoes compared to minimalist indoor shoes in older women: a randomised crossover trial
Secondary ID [1] 313639 0
None
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
BALANCER-IN: BALAnce eNhanCing shoEs for oldeR women: INdoor
Linked study record

Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Aging 336203 0
Balance impairment 336204 0
Falls 336205 0
Condition category
Condition code
Physical Medicine / Rehabilitation 332739 332739 0 0
Other physical medicine / rehabilitation

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of intervention(s) / exposure
This is a crossover trial where participants will receive each intervention. The initial appointment and subsequent appointments will be 2 hours in duration.

There is no wash-out period between treatments.

Balance-enhancing indoor shoes:

The balance-enhancing indoor shoes include features to improve balance performance such as: (i) adequate fixation and (ii) textured insoles. Participants will be provided appropriately sized balance-enhancing indoor shoes by a registered podiatrist during an appointment in the Podiatry Clinic Research Room at La Trobe University, Melbourne (Bundoora) campus.

Participants will be asked to wear the provided balance-enhancing indoor shoes as much as possible when indoors for a six-week period.

Adherence will be measured by an orthotimer® sensor. These sensors will be embedded into the sockliner of the balance-enhancing indoor shoes prior to participants receiving them. The orthotimer® sensors are small enough that when placed strategically into the shoes sockliner, they will be imperceptible.
Intervention code [1] 330232 0
Treatment: Other
Intervention code [2] 330431 0
Treatment: Devices
Comparator / control treatment
This is a crossover trial where participants will receive each intervention. The initial appointment and subsequent appointments will be 2 hours in duration.

There is no wash-out period between treatments.

Minimalist indoor shoes:

Participants will be provided appropriately sized minimalist indoor shoes (Basic Print Scuffs™) by a registered podiatrist during an appointment in the Podiatry Clinic Research Room at La Trobe University, Melbourne (Bundoora) campus. The minimalist indoor shoes incorporate features such as high flexibility, low heel to toe drop, low weight and low stack height. This shoe aligns with the consensus definition of Esculier et al., 2015 (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13047-015-0094-5).

Participants will be asked to wear the provided minimalist indoor shoes as much as possible when indoors for a six-week period.

Adherence will be measured by an orthotimer® sensor. These sensors will be embedded into the sockliner of the balance-enhancing indoor shoes prior to participants receiving them. The orthotimer® sensors are small enough that when placed strategically into the shoes sockliner, they will be imperceptible.
Control group
Active

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 340265 0
Footwear acceptability
Timepoint [1] 340265 0
Participants will wear each pair of shoes for six weeks and the primary time point will be at six weeks. They will be required to attend the podiatry clinic at baseline, six weeks and 12 weeks. Six and 12 weeks time points are after participants complete their six week wear period for each intervention respectively.
Secondary outcome [1] 443543 0
Perceived risk of falling
Timepoint [1] 443543 0
Participants will wear each pair of shoes for six weeks. They will be required to attend the podiatry clinic at baseline, six weeks and 12 weeks. Six and 12 weeks time points are after participants complete their six week wear period for each intervention respectively.
Secondary outcome [2] 443544 0
Balance performance
Timepoint [2] 443544 0
Participants will wear each pair of shoes for six weeks. They will be required to attend the podiatry clinic at baseline, six weeks and 12 weeks. Six and 12 weeks time points are after participants complete their six week wear period for each intervention respectively.

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
- Identify as a woman
- Aged 65 years or older
- Able to walk household distances (more than 50 metres) without the use of a walking aid
- Free of any disease or condition which interferes with balance or walking (e.g. Parkinson's disease)
- Free of any surgery to the foot or ankle in the past 12 months
- Located in metropolitan Melbourne
Minimum age
65 Years
Maximum age
No limit
Sex
Females
Can healthy volunteers participate?
Yes
Key exclusion criteria
- Have a current or history of plantar ulcer
- Have a major foot deformity (e.g. Chorcot foot)
- Amputation of the lower extremity including minor amputation
- Shoe sizes smaller than a size 5 (AU) or greater than size 11 (AU)

Study design
Purpose of the study
Prevention
Allocation to intervention
Randomised controlled trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Central randomisation via computer
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Simple randomisation using a randomisation table created by computer software
Masking / blinding
Open (masking not used)
Who is / are masked / blinded?



Intervention assignment
Crossover
Other design features
Phase
Not Applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Efficacy
Statistical methods / analysis

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
1/05/2025
Actual
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
28/11/2025
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
20/02/2026
Actual
Sample size
Target
44
Accrual to date
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
VIC
Recruitment postcode(s) [1] 43564 0
3086 - La Trobe University

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 318106 0
University
Name [1] 318106 0
La Trobe University
Country [1] 318106 0
Australia
Funding source category [2] 318107 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [2] 318107 0
ecnalabs, pty, ltd
Country [2] 318107 0
Australia
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
La Trobe University
Address
Country
Australia
Secondary sponsor category [1] 320482 0
Commercial sector/Industry
Name [1] 320482 0
ecnalabs, pty, ltd
Address [1] 320482 0
Country [1] 320482 0
Australia

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Not yet submitted
Ethics committee name [1] 316752 0
La Trobe University Human Ethics Committee
Ethics committee address [1] 316752 0
Ethics committee country [1] 316752 0
Australia
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 316752 0
07/02/2025
Approval date [1] 316752 0
Ethics approval number [1] 316752 0

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 138898 0
Prof Hylton Menz
Address 138898 0
La Trobe University Plenty Rd, Bundoora Victoria 3086
Country 138898 0
Australia
Phone 138898 0
+61 03 9479 5801
Fax 138898 0
Email 138898 0
h.menz@latrobe.edu.au
Contact person for public queries
Name 138899 0
Ameer Nor Azhar
Address 138899 0
La Trobe University Plenty Rd, Bundoora Victoria 3086
Country 138899 0
Australia
Phone 138899 0
+61 03 94793310
Fax 138899 0
Email 138899 0
a.norazhar@latrobe.edu.au
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 138900 0
Ameer Nor Azhar
Address 138900 0
La Trobe University Plenty Rd, Bundoora Victoria 3086
Country 138900 0
Australia
Phone 138900 0
+61 03 94793310
Fax 138900 0
Email 138900 0
a.norazhar@latrobe.edu.au

Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
Yes
What data in particular will be shared?
All de-identified individual line-by-line data
When will data be available (start and end dates)?
Immediately following publication, no end date determined.
Available to whom?
Interested researchers upon reasonable request.
Available for what types of analyses?
Only to achieve the aims in the approved proposal.
How or where can data be obtained?
Contact the principal investigator via email at h.menz@latrobe.edu.au


What supporting documents are/will be available?

Doc. No.TypeCitationLinkEmailOther DetailsAttachment
24432Informed consent form    388960-(Uploaded-09-01-2025-12-08-08)-PICF_v1.docx



Results publications and other study-related documents

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