Home-based Progressive Resistance Exercise to Enhance Physical Performance of Older Adults With Possible Sarcopenia

The overall aim of the proposed project is to improve muscle strength in older adults with possible sarcopenia by promoting home-based progressive resistance exercise. The target population for health talks is community-dwelling older adults. A Three monthly home-visits and weekly phone calls will be made. A waitlist randomised controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate effectiveness, and qualitative feedback will be collected from participants. A pilot study will be conducted first.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sarcopenia
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 42
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Hong Kong, Hong Kong
    • Community

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 65 years to 89 years (Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

The inclusion criteria are:

• Aged 65-89;
• Possible sarcopenia (defined by AWGS 2019);
• No cognitive impairment (Abbreviated Mental Test score ≥8); and
• No communication problems.

The exclusion criteria are:

• having engaged in a structured exercise programme in the past 6 months or planning to do so within the intervention period;
• mobility-limiting injury of the hands or lower limbs, surgery or hospitalisation within the intervention period;
• contraindications such as musculoskeletal/cardiorespiratory disorders, or any advanced diseases that inhibit them from exercising.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention; The intervention is a 12-week home-based resistance training programme with phased progression. The intervention will have three phases: (i) an initial phase focused on training the target muscle(s)/movements with minimal or no external weight; (ii) an intermediate phase targeting muscle strength with increased practice resistance; and (iii) an advanced phase targeting the further enhancement of muscle strength by challenging multiple muscle groups. Each phase will involve exercises targeting the trunk, back, hip, upper-limb and lower-limb muscles.	Behavioral: Exercise; The intervention is to be taught by fitness trainer at the participants' home at the start of each phase. The exercise progression model for older adults recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, which emphasise gradual increments in training load and systematically alter one or more programme components, will be adopted.
Other: Waitlist control; The waitlist control participants will start the intervention 12 weeks after the baseline assessment.	Behavioral: Exercise; The intervention is to be taught by fitness trainer at the participants' home at the start of each phase. The exercise progression model for older adults recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine, which emphasise gradual increments in training load and systematically alter one or more programme components, will be adopted.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in lower-limb muscle strength at 12 weeks from baseline	Measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), higher score indicates better performance	12 weeks after baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in lower-limb muscle strength at 24 weeks from baseline	Measured by Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), higher score indicates better performance	24 weeks after baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in handgrip strength at 12 weeks from baseline	Measured by a spring-type dynamometer, higher value indicates better performance	12 weeks after baseline
Change in handgrip strength at 24 weeks from baseline	Measured by a spring-type dynamometer, higher value indicates better performance	24 weeks after baseline
Status of possible sarcopenia at 12 weeks from baseline	Indicated by 5-time chair stand test ≥12 second, or men and women with <28 kg and <18 kg strength	12 weeks after baseline
Status of possible sarcopenia at 24 weeks from baseline	Indicated by 5-time chair stand test ≥12 second, or men and women with <28 kg and <18 kg strength	24 weeks after baseline
Sarcopenia risk score at 12 weeks from baseline	Measured by SARC-CalF, which is a combination of SARC-F questionnaire and calf circumference, a cut of of >=11 indicates high risk	12 weeks after baseline
Sarcopenia risk score at 24weeks from baseline	Measured by SARC-CalF, which is a combination of SARC-F questionnaire and calf circumference, a cut of of >=11 indicates high risk	24 weeks after baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Hong Kong

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 7, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): November 7, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 12, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): April 20, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 28, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Neuromuscular Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Anatomical; Muscular Atrophy; Atrophy; Sarcopenia
• Other Study ID Numbers: UW20-868

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: To protect confidentiality of participants.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No