Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40097929›Full record

SynthesisBMC geriatrics2025

Evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for preventing or reversing physical frailty in community-dwelling older adults aged over 50 years: overview of systematic reviews.

Annemarie Money, Aylish MacKenzie, Amelia Parchment, Gill Norman, Danielle Harris, Saima Ahmed, Lisa McGarrigle, Helen Hawley-Hague, Chris Todd

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Interpreting p-tau217 on the ward: frailty and plasma biomarkers in acutely admitted older adults.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. [Interactions between nutrition and frailty].Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Annemarie MoneyNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK. annemarie.money@manchester.ac.uk.
Aylish MacKenzieNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Amelia ParchmentNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Gill NormanInnovation Observatory, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 5TG, UK.
Danielle HarrisNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Saima AhmedNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Lisa McGarrigleSchool of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Helen Hawley-HagueNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
Chris ToddNational Institute for Health and Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration - Greater Manchester, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.

Funding

Dunhill Medical Trust PDM2202\9National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration-Greater Manchester NIHR200174NIHR Policy Research Unit in Healthy Ageing NIHR206119
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA large proportion of older adults are pre-frail. Interventions aimed at this group provide opportunity to reduce progression of physical frailty. The aim of this overview of reviews is to evaluate evidence for non-pharmacological interventions for the prevention/reversal of physical frailty in community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 50 years.

methodsMedline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Google Scholar and Social Science Citation Index were searched for non-pharmacological interventions that used a validated frailty measurement tool. Review quality was assessed using AMSTAR-2 and a Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) approach was adopted.

resultsTwenty-three reviews were included, six of which were of high quality. This included 18,768 unique participants from 98 unique primary studies. Physical activity containing an aspect of resistance training, for a minimum of twice per week, was evidenced as being beneficial for reversing frailty (28 primary studies and 3,246 unique participants). However, one randomised controlled trial (RCT) showed resistance training by pre-frail adults (n = 66) for eight weeks was not effective at reversing frailty status. Nutrition interventions combined with physical activity that include resistance training (9 studies, 1,812 participants) were effective at reversing/preventing frailty.

conclusionThe evidence synthesised in this overview of reviews suggests physical activity containing an aspect of resistance training is beneficial at reversing frailty status and preventing frailty progression. Nutrition interventions alone were inconclusive. It is recommended that future studies include a validated tool to assess frailty status, report samples by frailty status and make recommendations based on dose (frequency/duration of minutes per session) and adherence to dose.

Indexed as

Frail ElderlyFrailtyIndependent LivingResidence CharacteristicsResistance TrainingAgedAged, 80 and overExerciseHumansMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicFrailtyNutritionOlder adultsPhysical activityPre-frailtySystematic reviews

Identifiers

PMID40097929
PMCPMC11912688

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.