The effect of task-oriented exercise training on hospitalized elderly diabetic patients / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of task-oriented exercise training for hospitalized elderly diabetic patients.Methods:This study is a parallel randomized controlled trial with a positive control and a single-blinded assessor.From July 2020 to July 2021, we included 84 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes who were hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology at Beijing Hospital.These patients were randomly divided into two groups: the task-oriented exercise training group(TOE group)and the regular exercise training group(regular group). The TOE group participants were trained using a task-oriented exercise program that was specifically developed by our research team.On the other hand, the regular group participants were trained using a classical program that comprised of all exercise modes.Each subject received individualized exercise training for 10 consecutive days while staying in the hospital.We evaluated the efficacy, feasibility, and safety of the training programs by measuring the physical fitness of the participants, assessing the feasibility of the program, and monitoring any exercise-related adverse events that occurred.Results:A total of 79 subjects completed the entire intervention and follow-up period, with 40 subjects in the TOE group and 39 subjects in the regular group.In terms of efficacy, both groups showed improvement in their physical fitness indexes after the intervention, with no significant differences in the degree of improvement between the two groups(all P>0.05). When considering feasibility, the TOE group had a higher proportion of prospective feasibility at 87.5%(35 out of 40)compared to the regular group at 71.8%(28 out of 39). Similarly, the TOE group had a higher proportion of practical feasibility at 75.0%(30 out of 40)compared to the regular group at 53.8%(21 out of 39). The TOE group showed a significant advantage in practical feasibility between the two groups( χ2=3.862, P=0.049). As for safety, there were no exercise-related adverse events during the intervention in either group. Conclusions:The efficacy and safety of the task-oriented exercise program for hospitalized elderly diabetic patients is comparable to that of the regular program.Additionally, the task-oriented program is more feasible than the regular program.