SynthesisPloS one2020
Primary care interventions to address physical frailty among community-dwelling adults aged 60 years or older: A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 102 citations in OpenAlex.
- The diagnostic and predictive accuracy of the PRISMA-7 screening tool for frailty in older adults: a systematic review, and meta-analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence and risk factors of frailty in people experiencing homelessness: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The Journal of frailty & aging · 2025Pooled it
- Evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for preventing or reversing physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults aged over 50 years: overview of systematic reviews.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Frailty Interventions in Community-Based Low and Middle-Income Settings.International journal of public health · 2025Pooled it
- [PAPPS update on older people 2024].Atencion primaria · 2024Guideline
- Trial
- Changes in frailty, intensive blood pressure treatment, and risks of adverse clinical outcomes: a post hoc analysis of the SPRINT trial.BMC medicine · 2025Trial
- Postimplementation Evaluation in Assisted Living Facilities of an eHealth Medical Device Developed to Predict and Avoid Unplanned Hospitalizations: Pragmatic Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Trial
- Tai Chi versus health education as a frailty intervention for community-dwelling older adults with hypertension.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2023Trial
- Effects of an educational intervention on frailty status, physical function, physical activity, sleep patterns, and nutritional status of older adults with frailty or pre-frailty: the FRAGSALUD study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Trial
- Involving older people in co-designing an intervention to reverse frailty and build resilience.Family practice · 2022Trial
- Use of standardized brief geriatric evaluation compared with routine care in general practice for preventing functional decline: a pragmatic cluster-randomized trial.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2021Trial
- Temporalis muscle biomarkers from routine brain MRI and risk of dementia in two independent cohorts.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Appreciating the complexity of frailty and user context in digital health intervention design: A qualitative study with personas.PloS one · 2026Article
- Skeletal Muscle-Cardiac Muscle Aging: Shared Mechanisms and Multimodal Interventions.JACC. Advances · 2025Review
- Development and testing of an electronic frailty index using Canadian electronic medical record data in primary care.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Developing a Delphi Consensus on the Domains and Conduct of Brief Geriatric Assessments in Singapore.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2025Article
- Comprehensive geriatric assessment in nonhospitalized settings: An overview of systematic reviews.Geriatrics & gerontology international · 2025Review
- Elucidating the causal nexus and immune mediation between frailty and chronic kidney disease: integrative multi-omics analysis.Renal failure · 2024Article
- Group-based trajectories of potentially preventable hospitalisations among older adults after a hip fracture.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe best interventions to address frailty among older adults have not yet been fully defined, and the diversity of interventions and outcome measures makes this process challenging. Consequently, there is a lack of guidance for clinicians and researchers regarding which interventions are most likely to help older persons remain robust and independent. This paper uses meta-analysis to assess effectiveness of primary care interventions for physical frailty among community-dwelling adults aged 60+ and provides an up-to-date synthesis of literature in this area.
methodsPubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, and PEDro databases were searched, and RCTs, controlled pilot studies, or trials with similar study designs addressing frailty in the primary care setting among persons aged 60+ were chosen. Study data was abstracted following PRISMA guidelines, then meta-analysis was performed using the random effects model.
results31 studies with a total of 4794 participants were analysed. Interventions using predominantly resistance-based exercise and nutrition supplementation seemed to improve frailty status versus control (RR = 0.62 (CI 0.48-0.79), I2 = 0%). Exercise plus nutrition education also reduced frailty (RR = 0.69 (CI 0.58-0.82), I2 = 0%). Exercise alone seemed effective in reducing frailty (RR = 0.63 (CI 0.47-0.84), I2 = 0%) and improving physical performance (RR = 0.43 (CI 0.18-0.67), I2 = 0%). Exercise alone also appeared superior to control in improving gait speed (SMD = 0.36 (CI 0.10-0.61, I2 = 74%), leg strength (SMD = 0.61 (CI 0.09-1.13), I2 = 87%), and grip strength (Mean Difference = 1.08 (CI 0.02-2.15), I2 = 71%) though a high degree of heterogeneity was observed. Comprehensive geriatric assessment (RR = 0.77 (CI 0.64-0.93), I2 = 0%) also seemed superior to control in reducing frailty.
conclusionExercise alone or with nutrition supplementation or education, and comprehensive geriatric assessment, may reduce physical frailty. Individual-level factors and health systems resource availability will likely determine configuration of future interventions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.