Research

Adherence

A 12-month multidomain physical activity intervention (aerobic, strength, flexibility, balance) significantly reduces the prevalence and severity of frailty in sedentary older adults (aged 70-89) at risk of mobility disability.

If you are an older adult who has been inactive and feels 'frail' or at risk of falling, a structured exercise program can help reverse these trends. The key is consistency and progression: start with supervised walking and light strength training, aiming for 150 minutes of activity per week. Do not skip this because you feel 'too old' or 'too weak'; research shows that those with the most frailty benefit the most from such interventions. Focus on building the habit gradually through center-based sessions before moving to home-based maintenance.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Our findings support the hypothesis that a PA program significantly reduced the presence and severity of frailty in a sample of sedentary elders, thus potentially modifying their risk profile.
Matteo Cesari et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2014

Why this rating

Randomized controlled trial with high follow-up rates (94.8%) and statistical significance (p=.01), though it is a pilot study with post-hoc subgroup analyses.

Source

A Physical Activity Intervention to Treat the Frailty Syndrome in Older Persons--Results From the LIFE-P Study

Matteo Cesari et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2014

rct · n=424Cited 380×
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