Effectiveness of Whole Body Vibration on Health Outcomes in Older Adults With Dynapenic Abdominal Obesity

September 16, 2025 updated by: Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital

The Effectiveness of Whole Body Vibration Training in Improving Brain Activity, Bone Mineral Density, Quality of Life, and Biomarkers for the Older People With Dynapenic Abdominal Obesity

This study focuses on whole body vibration training (WBVT), a form of neuromuscular training that uses mechanical vibrations. WBVT has been shown to improve muscle function, bone mineral density, and quality of life. While some benefits have been observed in the elderly population, there remains a research gap concerning its effectiveness in older adults with dynapenic abdominal obesity. Therefore, the findings of this study will provide new evidence for health interventions targeting this specific group.

This research targets outpatients aged 65 and above who meet the criteria for dynapenic abdominal obesity. It aims to evaluate the effects of WBVT on brain activity, osteoporosis, quality of life, and biological markers. The study period is from February 1, 2025, to January 31, 2027, with a planned sample size of 120 participants, equally divided into an experimental group and a control group (60 participants each).

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of whole body vibration training on older adults with dynapenic abdominal obesity in the following areas:

Brain activity: Changes in serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

Bone mineral density: Measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Quality of life: Assessed through questionnaires covering improvements in physical health, mental well-being, and social functioning.

Biomarkers: Changes in levels of total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

120

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Outpatients aged 65 years or older

Diagnosed with dynapenic abdominal obesity

Able to understand and follow simple instructions

Able to communicate clearly and express their own will

Willing to sign the informed consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

Inability to communicate in Mandarin or Taiwanese, resulting in inability to participate in research activities

Severe visual or hearing impairment that hinders study participation

Presence of cognitive impairment, musculoskeletal or severe osteoporosis-related conditions

Refusal to sign the informed consent form

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: whole body vibration training group
Participants in the experimental group underwent whole-body vibration (WBV) training three times per week for a total duration of 24 weeks. During each session, participants stood barefoot on a vibration platform, maintaining a static squat position with knees bent at 30 degrees and feet shoulder-width apart. The training protocol gradually increased in duration, number of sets, and total exercise time from an initial 10 minutes to 30 minutes over the 24-week period. The vibration frequency was progressively raised from 20 Hz to 40 Hz, with a constant amplitude of 2 mm. Each 10-minute session included a 1-minute rest interval. Additionally, all participants were provided with the "Move for Health" handbook issued by the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, as part of health education guidance. Post-intervention data collection was conducted at weeks 18 and 25 following the 24-week intervention program.
Behavioral: whole body vibration training
whole body vibration training and health education booklet
Placebo Comparator: control group
The control group received the "Move for Health" handbook issued by the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan, and participated in 30-minute health education sessions over a 24-week period. The educational content included exercise-related information, an introduction to dynapenic abdominal obesity (DAO), associated risk factors, and potential health consequences. Post-intervention data collection was conducted at weeks 18 and 25 following the 24-week intervention program.
Behavioral: control group
health education booklet

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
blood tests
Time Frame: 24 weeks

Total Cholesterol (TC) Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months；Description: Serum total cholesterol level measured in mg/dL. Reference value: < 200 mg/dL.

Triglycerides (TG) Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months；Description: Serum triglyceride level measured in mg/dL. Reference value: < 150 mg/dL.

Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months；Description: Serum LDL cholesterol measured in mg/dL. Reference value: < 130 mg/dL.

High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C)Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months；Description: Serum HDL cholesterol measured in mg/dL. Reference values: > 40 mg/dL for men, > 50 mg/dL for women.

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)Time Frame: Baseline, 3months, 6 months；Description: Quantitative serum CRP level measured in mg/dL. Normal reference value: 0.3 mg/dL.

Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c)Time Frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months；Description: HbA1c percentage measured in blood. Normal Brain-Derived Neurotroph in pg/mL using
24 weeks
dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry(DXA)
Time Frame: 8 months
This study employed dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a widely used and clinically safe method for assessing bone health. The DXA system (brand referenced in previous publications) operates by emitting a low-radiation dose (±10 μSv) X-ray beam to measure the extent of X-ray penetration through body tissues. Based on the absorption data, the device calculates bone mineral density (BMD). Since bones absorb more X-rays and have high penetrability, while fat absorbs less and has low penetrability, DXA effectively differentiates between tissue types. DXA results are typically interpreted using T-scores for BMD. A T-score ≥ -1.0 indicates normal bone density and good skeletal health. A T-score between -2.5 and -1.0 suggests low bone mass (osteopenia), indicating a decreased BMD but not yet at the threshold for osteoporosis. A T-score ≤ -2.5 defines osteoporosis, indicating significantly reduced BMD and a higher risk of fractures. Severe osteoporosis is diagnosed when a T-score ≤ -2.5.
8 months
quality of life questionnaire
Time Frame: 24 weeks
The Taiwan version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire is a shortened version derived from the original 100-item WHOQOL-100 developed by the World Health Organization. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the questionnaire support a four-domain model consisting of physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and environment. The internal consistency (Cronbach's α) of these four domains ranges from 0.70 to 0.77. The questionnaire includes 28 items: one item for overall quality of life, one for general health, seven for physical health, six for psychological well-being, three for social relationships, and eight for environmental factors. The scale uses a 5-point Likert format based on frequency, intensity, capability, and evaluation. Higher scores indicate better quality of life.
24 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital

Collaborators

Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Chang Shu Fang, professor, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

October 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 21, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

September 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2025

Last Verified

May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • B11401015
  • DTCRD113-E-14 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

can sharing topics and research protocol

IPD Sharing Time Frame

approximate date since June 2025 to January 2027

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Study Data/Documents

  1. Study Protocol
    Information identifier: t780927t@yahoo.com.tw
    Information comments: t780927t@yahoo.com.tw

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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