BACKGROUND Physical exercise has been linked to reduced frailty, but there is insufficient evidence of beneficial effects in community-dwelling older adults with subjective cognitive concerns. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to… Click to show full abstract
BACKGROUND Physical exercise has been linked to reduced frailty, but there is insufficient evidence of beneficial effects in community-dwelling older adults with subjective cognitive concerns. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to clarify the effects of physical exercise in this population. DESIGN Single-blind randomised controlled trial. SETTING Community sports centres. PARTICIPANTS Residents aged 65-85 years were screened using the Kihon checklist; those with subjective cognitive concerns were invited for eligibility assessment. In total, 415 community-dwelling older adults were enrolled and randomised. METHODS This trial investigated the effects of aerobic training (AT), resistance training (RT) and combined training (AT+RT) programs on reducing frailty. All participants were randomised into one of the three intervention groups or the control group. Participants in the intervention groups underwent a group training program and self-paced home training for 26 weeks. The control group received lectures about health promotion. A 95-item frailty index (FI) was utilised to determine the effects of training. Participants were followed up at weeks 26 and 52. RESULTS At baseline, mean age of all participants (47% women) was 72.3 ± 4.6 years, with a mean FI score of 0.3 ± 0.1. Compared with control group, AT improved total FI by 0.020 (CI -0.039 to -0.001, effect size -0.275) and the depression and anxiety component of FI by 0.051 (CI -0.084 to -0.018, effect size -0.469) at week 26, but the effects waned at week 52. No significant differences in FI were found in RT and AT+RT groups at weeks 26 and 52. CONCLUSIONS A 26-week AT reduced frailty modestly, especially in the depression and anxiety component, in older adults with subjective cognitive concerns.
               
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