Effect of a home-based exercise program on subsequent falls among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive frailty: A sub-group analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Objectives: Cognitive frailty is characterized by concurrent physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment and is associated with increased risk of falls. Exercise is an evidence-based strategy to prevent falls, but whether exercise reduces falls in people with cognitive frailty is unknown. We examined the effects of home-based exercise on subsequent falls among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive frailty who have previously fallen.

Study design: A sub-group analysis of a 12-month, single-blind, randomized controlled trial among 344 adults aged 70 years or more who had fallen within the past 12 months. Participants were randomized to either 12 months of home-based exercise (n=172) or usual care (n=172). In this sub-analysis, we included 192 participants with cognitive frailty (home-based exercise=93; usual care=99) with Short Physical Performance Battery scores ≤9/12 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores <26/30.

Main outcome measures: Our primary analysis examined the effect of exercise on self-reported falls rate over 12 months. Secondary analyses investigated the intervention's effects on scores on the Short Physical Performance Battery and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. We also explored whether greater than or equal to mean average monthly adherence (i.e., ≥45.5%) moderated treatment effects.

Results: At 12 months, falls rates were 35% lower in the home-based exercise group compared with the usual care group (IRR=0.65; p=0.042). Score on the Short Physical Performance Battery significantly improved among home-based exercise participants with greater than or equal to mean adherence vs. those with less than mean adherence (estimated mean difference: 0.94; p=0.022).

Conclusions: Exercise is a promising strategy for reducing subsequent falls in people with cognitive frailty. Greater exercise adherence improved physical function in this population.

Clinicaltrials: gov identifier: NCT01029171.

Keywords: Cognitive frailty; Exercise; Falls; Older adults; Physical function.