A Nutrition Care Model for Frailty Prevention in the Elderly Based on Design Thinking

March 25, 2026 updated by: Suh-Ching, Yang

A Nutrition Care Model for Frailty Prevention in the Elderly Based on Design Thinking: A Comparative Analysis of Community Practices in Taiwan and Japan

This international multicenter study project. A physical function screening activity for the elderly will be held in the community centers. After screening out high-risk subjects for frailty, they will be guided to participate in motivational interviews. Design thinking is used to design product/service processes based on nutritional problems, and combined with the nutritional care process.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This project will first conduct a preliminary health screening using the "Integrated Elderly Care Screening Scale" to understand the physical function status of the subjects. If the screening results show that the group is at high risk of frailty, a one-on-one interview will be arranged to further understand their nutrition-related issues and needs. Through the compilation of interview data, a product or service process for nutrition education will be designed and incorporated into subsequent nutrition care.

Participants will fill out questionnaires before and after nutrition education intervention to evaluate physiological functions and health behaviors. The physiological function assessment includes four aspects: chewing function, swallowing function, nutritional status and frailty. This procedure aims to understand the potential improvement effect of this care model on the physiological functions and daily health behaviors of the elderly, and compare it with the results of Settsu City, Osaka, Japan.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

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 Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Wanhua District
      • New Taipei City, Wanhua District, Taiwan, 10860
        • Dingshuo Village Residential Center

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Elderly people aged 65 and above with nutrition-related risks were screened by the ICOPE (Integrated Care for Older People) scale, that is, those with abnormalities in cognition, mobility, malnutrition, depression, etc., and were defined as high-risk elderly people.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Those who cannot eat independently, such as those who rely on nasogastric tubes for feeding.
  • Those who cannot express their opinions independently.

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: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: nutrition education
Other: nutrition education
Nutrition education course design will be based on interview results with subjects with high risk of frailty.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Chewing function
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Chewing function will be assessed using a chewing status question adapted from the Japanese National Health and Nutrition Survey. Higher scores indicate better chewing ability.
Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10)
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months after intervention
The Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) is a self-administered questionnaire ranging from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating more severe swallowing difficulties.
Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF)
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months after intervention
The Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) ranges from 0 to 14, with higher scores indicating better nutritional status.
Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Index (SOF)
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months after intervention
The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) index assesses frailty status, with higher scores indicating greater frailty.
Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Sarcopenia Screening Scale with Calf Circumference (SARC-CalF)
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months after intervention
The SARC-CalF is a screening tool ranging from 0 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater risk of sarcopenia.
Baseline and 2 months after intervention
Health behavior change (knowledge, attitude, and practice)
Time Frame: Baseline and 2 months
Health behavior change will be assessed using a structured questionnaire evaluating knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) related to nutrition. The total score is calculated based on participants' responses, with higher scores indicating better health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
Baseline and 2 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Participation rate in risk screening
Time Frame: up to 1 month
Participation rate in risk screening is defined as the proportion of older adults who participated in risk detection among the eligible population. This measure reflects program implementation progress and community mobilization.
up to 1 month
Coverage rate of nutritional intervention
Time Frame: Up to 2 months
Coverage rate of nutritional intervention is defined as the proportion of older adults who received nutritional intervention among those identified as at risk. This measure reflects program effectiveness and coverage across communities.
Up to 2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Suh-Ching, Yang

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 (Actual)

July 4, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

August 29, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

August 29, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 21, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 25, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 31, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 31, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 25, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • N202504135

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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