Effectiveness of Frailty Prevention Program in Community-Dwelling Older People During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the effectiveness of a frailty prevention program in community-dwelling older people during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was conducted from May 2022 to July 2022 and a 90-minute program was performed once a month for 3 consecutive months. The participants were independent older people aged ≥ 65 years living in Japan. Of the 34 registrations, 27 people who attended all programs were included in the analysis. The survey included a self-administered questionnaire (basic attributes, frequency of self-weight measurement, nutritional status, and frailty assessment) and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, BMI, muscle mass, and body fat percentage) at each session. The first session was pre-intervention and the third session was post-intervention and a comparison was made at two points. The frequency of daily self-weight measurements were significantly higher after the intervention than before it, but there were no significant changes in nutritional status before and after the intervention. Body fat percentage was significantly lower after the intervention than before it, for the entire population, including men and women, and elder-older people. Moreover, the risks status of some participants improved from frail to robust. This program may lead to an awareness of the relationship between objective weight cycling and health status and may contribute to the maintenance of nutritional status and prevent development of frailty.