BACKGROUND: Radio-Taiso could be a sustainable public health strategy for maintaining quality of life (QoL) in older adults with frailty. This study aimed to investigate whether Radio-Taiso provided greater benefits for health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and to identify the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness in this population. METHODS: A 12-week randomized controlled trial enrolled 226 older Japanese adults with pre-frailty or frailty, assessed using the modified frailty phenotype. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (Radio-Taiso + nutrition program) or control (nutrition program) groups. The Radio-Taiso program comprised five 60-min group sessions and daily practice at the participants' homes. The primary outcome was the change in the mental domain of HR-QoL, assessed using the SF-36®. The secondary outcomes included six physical fitness items and exercise self-efficacy. RESULTS: Overall, 104 and 105 participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively, were analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle. The median (interquartile range) daily practice rate of Radio-Taiso was 94.1% (73.2-98.8%). Although general linear models adjusted for baseline values and allocation stratification factors showed that the intervention group obtained greater benefits (adjusted mean differences [95% confidence intervals]) in the up-and-go (0.3 [0.1, 0.6] s), 2-min step-in-place (-3.2 [-6.2, -0.2] steps) tests, and exercise self-efficacy scale (-1.4 [-2.6, -0.1] points) than the control group, there were no group differences in changes in the mental domain score of HR-QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Radio-Taiso provided greater benefits for agility/dynamic balance, aerobic endurance, and exercise self-efficacy in older adults with frailty; however, these changes do not improve HR-QoL.
AIM: Radio-Taiso, a traditional exercise program in Japan, may serve as a coping strategy for older adults with frailty during the COVID-19 pandemic. This phase II trial tested program adherence and safety and explored the potential effectiveness of a home-based Radio-Taiso. METHODS: This assessor-blind parallel randomized controlled trial included community-dwelling Jolder Japanese adults with frailty and pre-frailty. Fifty-eight eligible participants were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. Intervention participants performed 3-5-min sessions of Radio-Taiso one to four times per day for 12 weeks. Feasibility criteria were set at practice and retention rates of ≥75%. Safety was monitored by assessing all adverse events reported by participants during the intervention period, irrespective of causality. Potential effectiveness was exploratorily assessed using items that allow clinical interpretation of changes: mobility and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), assessed using the modified short physical performance battery (SPPB) and the SF-36, respectively. RESULTS: Both practice (83%) and retention rates (100%) met the predetermined feasibility criteria. Eleven adverse events were reported but were supposedly unrelated to the intervention. In the intention-to-treat analysis, there was no clinically significant difference in the change in SPPB score between groups (-0.4 points, 95% confidence interval [CI], -1.2, 0.3); however, the intervention group scored higher in the mental component of HR-QoL than did the control group (3.4 points, 95% CI: -1.1, 7.8). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary data indicate that a phase III trial is feasible, focusing on the mental aspect of HR-QoL as the primary outcome. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 32-37.
COVID-19 , Frailty , Humans , Aged , Quality of Life , Pilot Projects , Pandemics , Exercise Therapy
INTRODUCTION: Few clinical trials have examined the effects of home-based exercise programmes on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in older adults with frailty. Radio-Taiso is the most famous exercise programme in Japan. A home-based Radio-Taiso exercise programme may serve as an accessible, scalable and sustainable care intervention for older adults with frailty. The primary aim of this trial is to test whether older adults with frailty who are prescribed our home-based Radio-Taiso exercise programme will receive greater benefits for HR-QoL compared with those who are not prescribed the exercise programme. Potential mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of the programme and the effects of the programme on daily lifestyle will also be investigated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This assessor-blind randomised controlled trial will be conducted at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) in Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan. From April to May 2022, 226 older adults with prefrailty or frailty according to the revised Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study criteria will be included from a large database. After a baseline assessment in June 2022, participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention (home-based Radio-Taiso exercise and nutrition programme) or control (nutrition programme) groups at a 1:1 ratio. After intervention completion, a follow-up assessment will be conducted in September 2022. The primary outcome is the change in the mental domain of HR-QoL assessed using SF-36. Secondary outcomes include physical and role/social domains and subscales of HR-QoL, frailty phenotype, physical fitness, posture, cognition, exercise self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, social network, habitual energy intake, physical activity and sleep conditions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Research Ethics Committee of TMIG has approved the research protocol. This trial will be conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The findings will be presented at international academic conferences and published in peer-reviewed international journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN000047229.
Frailty , Quality of Life , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor , Exercise , Exercise Therapy/methods , Humans , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
