Study design
This was a nested cohort study using data from a large
cluster-randomised controlled trial: Older People's
Exercise in Residential and nursing Accommodation
(OPERA). The rationale and methods for the OPERA
trial have been reported in full elsewhere [17,18]. In
brief, the trial included 1023 participants, aged over
65 years, living in 78 residential and nursing homes
across Coventry and Warwickshire and North East
London. Homes were randomised to either an active intervention
(including staff depression awareness training and
a whole home physical activation and exercise programme)
or control (staff depression awareness training only).
Follow up of the study participants was undertaken at
12 months post-randomisation; only data from the active
intervention arm were used for this analysis.