Real-Life Outcomes of a Multicomponent Exercise Intervention in Community-Dwelling Frail Older Adults and Its Association with Nutritional-Related Factors

Nutrients. 2022 Dec 3;14(23):5147. doi: 10.3390/nu14235147.

Abstract

Most of the studies on physical exercise in older adults have been conducted through randomized clinical trials performed under tight experimental conditions. Data regarding Real-Life physical exercise intervention programs in older adults with different conditions and in different settings, are lacking. This is an interventional, prospective and pragmatic Real-Life study in which fifty sedentary and frail individuals were enrolled. We aimed at determining if a Real-Life exercise intervention outweighs previously reported improvements in a Clinical Trial (NCT02331459). We found higher improvements in the Real-Life exercise intervention vs. the Clinical Trial in functional parameters, such as Fried's frailty criteria, Tinetti, Barthel and Lawton & Brody scales. Similar results were found in the dietary habits, emotional and social networking outcomes determined through the Short-MNA, Yesavage, EuroQol and Duke scales. The Real-Life intervention led to a significant reduction in the number of falls, visits to the primary care centers and emergency visits when compared to the results of our previously published Clinical Trial. The implementation of a Real-Life exercise intervention is feasible and should be a major priority to improve health-span in the older population.

Keywords: Real-Life; adherence; clinical trial; frailty; health-span; reproducibility.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Exercise Therapy / methods
  • Frail Elderly / psychology
  • Frailty*
  • Humans
  • Independent Living*
  • Prospective Studies

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III CB16/10/00435 (CIBERFES), (PID2019-110906RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033) from the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science; FGCSIC/PSLINTERREG/FEDER; PROMETEO/2019/097 de “Consellería, de Sanitat de la Generalitat Valenciana” and EU Funded H2020- DIABFRAIL-LATAM (Ref: 825546); European Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JPI HDHL) and of the ERA-NET Cofund ERA-HDHL (GA N° 696295 of the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program). Part of the equipment employed in this work has been funded by Generalitat Valenciana and co-financed with ERDF funds (OP ERDF of Comunitat Valenciana 2014–2020). Support from Ramón Areces Fundation and Soria Melguizo Fundation is also acknowledged.