Effect of Remote Exercise Interventions on the Risk of Incident Functional Disability Certification among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Before-and-After Study

抄録

Objective: The Risk Assessment Scale for Incident Functional Disability (RFD) is used to predict the risk of future certification for incident long-term care and support. In this study, we used the RFD to clarify the effect of remote exercise on the functional decline risk of community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: The study population comprised 36 older adults who participated in an exercise class held at a local community center. After written informed consent was obtained, body composition and physical function were measured before the exercise intervention. Participants with a high- and low-risk of certified need for care and support were identified based on the RFD cutoff value (16/17 points). Interim and final follow-up assessments were conducted after the exercise intervention to compare the pre- and post-intervention changes in each measure.

Results: After the intervention, significant improvements were observed in the phase angle between the entire body and both arms (p = 0.001 and p = 0.016, respectively), handgrip strength (p < 0.001), walking speed (p < 0.008), and chair standing (p < 0.001). In the RFD, although age, a risk factor for needing care and support, increased significantly after the intervention (p < 0.001), the number of high-risk individuals did not increase (p = 0.48).

Conclusion: Remote exercise interventions for community-dwelling older individuals improves muscle quality and physical function and limits the functional decline risk as measured using the RFD.