Binder, E. F., Schechtman, K. B., Ehsani, A. A., Steger-May, K., Brown, M., Sinacore, D.R, et al. (2002). Effects of exercise training on frailty in community-dwelling older adults: Results of a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 50(12), 1921-1928.

The purpose of this study was to determine if a multidimensional exercise training program for community-dwelling older men and women could significantly reduce frailty.

Participants and Method: 115 men and women 78 years and older participated in this study. The exercise treatment group consisted of three consecutive phases, each 3 months long. Participants attended exercise sessions three times per week, completing 36 sessions before moving onto the next phase.

Results: Individuals in the exercise treatment group had greater improvements in the modified PPT score (a test to measure degree of physical function), in VO2 peak, and the Functional Status Questionnaire (FSQ) score (amount of difficulty with task performance) compared with those in the control group.

Discussion: This study suggests that supervised multidimensional exercise training is a safe and effective intervention that can reduce physical impairments and improve functional limitations in older community-dwelling men and women more than unsupervised home exercise.

Read the entire abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/217/1426/Effects~of~exercise~training~on~frailty~in~community-dwelling~older~adults~~Results~of~a~randomized~~controlled~
trial.