NCT06741878

A Biopsychosocial Approach to Improving Multidimensional Frailty Status in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 308 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Hong Kong Baptist University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years – 80 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Frailty is a common clinical syndrome that is becoming increasingly important as populations age worldwide. Individuals who are frail are at a higher risk for negative outcomes, such as falls, disability, hospitalizations, and even death. The understanding of frailty has evolved from a straightforward concept to a complex model that includes physical, psychological, cognitive, and social factors. Since frailty is not static and can change over time, early interventions can be beneficial. Nevertheless, research in this area has been challenging due to a lack of agreement on what frailty encompasses and an inadequate understanding of how its different components interact. Defining frailty as a multidimensional issue is essential to recognize the adverse effects that can arise from medical, psychological, and social influences. However, recent studies have not sufficiently addressed how these different aspects work together or developed effective multidimensional interventions.

Detailed description

The study will be designed as a four-arm, double-blinded, cluster-randomised controlled trial. A sample (N = 308) of prefrail older adults aged 60-80 years will be recruited from 32 randomly selected elderly community centres in Hong Kong and classified into four frailty deficit patterns (multi-frailty, physical-to-psycho/social, nonphysical-to-psycho/social, and a robust control). With the hypothesised biopsychosocial framework pinpointing the intertwined relationships of these three domains of frailty, four intervention strategies (biological/psychosocial/nutritional, biological/nutritional, psychosocial/nutritional, and an inactive control) will be proposed to improve their overall frailty, regarding their physical, psychological, and social functioning, nutritional status, and lifestyle changes in a 9-month intervention and follow-up period. The primary objective will be to assess the effectiveness of the intervention strategies for improving the frailty status of participants in each of the four frailty deficit pattern groups, and to determine the most effective intervention strategy.

Conditions

• Frailty in Older Adults

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Exercise	Involves participants engaging in physical training group sessions in light-to-moderate intensity.
BEHAVIORAL	Psychosocial	Involves participants engaging in selected board and card games which require cognitive and socialization skills to play in a group setting of 2-4 people.
BEHAVIORAL	Nutritional	Involves participants attending dietary classes taught by a certified dietitian, including individualized consultation.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-01-01
• Primary completion: 2026-03-31
• Completion: 2026-06-30
• First posted: 2024-12-19
• Last updated: 2024-12-19