What this means
This study will test whether women over 75 who live alone feel less lonely after group exercise. It has not started giving results yet, so we do not know the answer.
Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the registry listing.
- Status
- Recruiting
- Who can join
- Ages 75–100 · 213 women aged 75 and older in Oslo, Norway (trial still recruiting, no results yet)
- Where
- 1 site
The science
- Registered title
- The ALIVE-Project: Activity, Life Satisfaction, Inclusion, Vitality, Elderly Women
- Trial ID
- NCT07789080 ↗
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Study type
- interventional
- Conditions
- Loneliness, Social Isolation in Older Adults, Physical Inactivity, Healthy Ageing
- What is tested
- Supervised Group Exercise in Fitness Clubs, Individual exercise
- Sponsor
- Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
- Ages
- 75 Years to 100 Years
- Dates
- First posted Aug 27, 2026 · updated Aug 27, 2026
Registry summary
Many older women live alone and may experience loneliness, reduced social participation, and declining physical health. Regular physical activity can improve health and independence, but it is not known whether exercising in a supervised group setting provides additional social and psychological benefits compared with exercising independently.
The ALIVE study is a 16-week randomized controlled trial that will investigate the effects of fitness club participation on loneliness, social connectedness, quality of life, mental health, physical activity, and physical fitness in women aged 75 years and older who live alone and are insufficiently physically active. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) supervised group exercise at a fitness club combined with opportunities for social interaction, (2) fitness club membership with independent exercise, or (3) a control group continuing their usual daily activities.
A total of 213 women will be recruited from Oslo, Norway. Outcomes will be assessed before and after the intervention using questionnaires, physical performance tests, body composition measurements, cardiovascular risk assessments, and device-based measurement of physical activity. In addition, qualitative interviews will be conducted to explore participants' experiences, barriers, facilitators, and perceptions of social connection and belonging.
The study aims to determine whether supervised group exercise in fitness clubs can reduce loneliness and improve health and well-being among older women, while generating knowledge about practical community-based strategies to support healthy and socially connected ageing.
Sites (1)
- Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Oslo, Norway