Gen Aki, Higuchi Yumi, Ueda Tetsuya, Hashimoto Tomoko, Kozuki Wataru, Murakami Tatsunori, Ishigami Mio
Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science, Osaka Metropolitan University, Habikino City, Osaka, Japan.
Clin Interv Aging. 2025 Jan 13;20:43-53. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S491979. eCollection 2025.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults living in the community experienced reduced physical activity (PA) and heightened loneliness, particularly those with less frequent outings-a key factor of social frailty. Promoting PA may foster social participation, increase outings, and reduce loneliness. This study investigates the effects of a multi-component intervention on PA and loneliness in socially frail older adults.
This single-blind, randomized controlled trial included 64 participants aged ≥ 60 years with social frailty and pre-frailty defined according to Makizako's Social Frailty Index. Participants were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 34) or the control (n = 30) group. Over eight weeks, the intervention group attended a weekly 60-min multi-component program that included health education, exercise, and self-monitoring. A simple exercise booklet was distributed to the control group at baseline. For both groups, outcome measures were assessed at baseline and after eight weeks. PA was assessed using a triaxial accelerometer. Loneliness was measured using the three-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. We used repeated-measures analysis of variance with group-by-time interactions to estimate the intervention effects following the intention-to-treat approach.
PA was not affected by the intervention. A significant group-by-time interaction was observed for loneliness, with a medium effect size (p < 0.05), indicating that loneliness was significantly reduced in the intervention group compared to the control group.
The multi-component program aimed at promoting PA may contribute to the building of social relationships and reducing loneliness in older adults with social frailty and pre-frailty.
在新冠疫情期间，居住在社区的老年人身体活动减少，孤独感增强，尤其是那些外出频率较低的老年人，而外出频率低是社会脆弱性的一个关键因素。促进身体活动可能会促进社会参与、增加外出次数并减少孤独感。本研究调查了多成分干预措施对社会脆弱的老年人身体活动和孤独感的影响。
这项单盲随机对照试验纳入了64名年龄≥60岁、根据牧坂社会脆弱指数定义为社会脆弱和脆弱前期的参与者。参与者被随机分配到干预组（n = 34）或对照组（n = 30）。在八周时间里，干预组每周参加一次60分钟的多成分项目，包括健康教育、锻炼和自我监测。在基线时向对照组发放一本简单的锻炼手册。两组均在基线时和八周后评估结局指标。使用三轴加速度计评估身体活动。使用加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表的三项版本测量孤独感。我们采用意向性分析方法，通过组间时间交互作用的重复测量方差分析来估计干预效果。
身体活动未受干预影响。孤独感方面观察到显著的组间时间交互作用，效应量中等（p < 0.05），表明与对照组相比，干预组的孤独感显著降低。
旨在促进身体活动的多成分项目可能有助于社会脆弱和脆弱前期老年人建立社会关系并减少孤独感。
