NCT07429630

Predictors of Physical Improvement in Frail Hospitalized Elders After Nutrition and Exercise

An Exploratory Analysis of a Frailty Management Program: Identifying Characteristics Associated With Improved Physical Performance Following a Combined Nutrition and Exercise Intervention in Hospitalized Frail Older Adults

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 120 (actual)
• Sponsor: Zhejiang Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to evaluate whether a 12-week program combining oral nutritional supplements (ONS) with resistance exercises can improve nutritional status, muscle strength, and physical mobility in hospitalized older adults with frailty. The investigators will enroll about 120 frail older inpatients in a single-group design. All participants will receive 90 grams of ONS daily and undergo supervised resistance training five times per week for 12 weeks. Nutrition, physical function, and frailty levels will be assessed before and after the intervention. Baseline characteristics will be examined as potential predictors of intervention response.

Conditions

• Frail Elderly People Hospitalized

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
COMBINATION_PRODUCT	Combined ONS and Resistance Training Program	Standardized Combined Intervention (Nutrition + Exercise): A 12-week integrated protocol for all participants. Oral Nutritional Supplement (ONS): Daily intake of 90g whole-protein enteral nutrition powder (450 kcal, 18g protein), dissolved in water and administered in two divided doses. This provides an estimated 30% increase in daily caloric intake. Supervised Resistance Training: Performed 5 times/week using Thera-Band resistance bands. Each 30-minute session includes warm-up, 6 standardized exercises (e.g., front raise, squat, leg abduction) targeting major muscle groups (2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions each), and cool-down. Exercise intensity and adherence are monitored and progressed biweekly by trained staff. Note: This condensed version retains all critical components (dose, frequency, duration, standardization, supervision, and key exercise descriptions) for protocol replication, within a concise format suitable for study registries or summary documents.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-03-21
• Primary completion: 2023-12-31
• Completion: 2023-12-31
• First posted: 2026-02-24
• Last updated: 2026-02-24

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China