ReviewJMIR serious games2025
Home-Based Virtual Reality Training for Enhanced Balance, Strength, and Mobility Among Older Adults With Frailty: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in JMIR serious games, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Exergaming Interventions for Preventing Falls and Injurious Falls in Older People: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR aging · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of game-based virtual reality balance training on postural stability and mobility in community-dwelling older adults: an exploratory randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Physical Capacity Changes Following a Virtual Reality-Assisted Exercise Program in Institutionalized Older Adults: A Pilot Intervention Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Harnessing the transformative potential of gamified virtual reality sports to enhance perceived life expectancy in older men at risk of suicide.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Frailty is a geriatric syndrome associated with increased risk of falls, hospitalization, and reduced quality of life. Traditional exercises may be unsuitable for older adults with frailty due to mobility issues and accessibility barriers. Virtual reality (VR) offers an engaging, home-based alternative by providing interactive training with real-time feedback. VR interventions have shown potential benefits for improving balance, strength, and mobility. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based home training programs in improving balance, strength, and mobility among older adults with frailty and prefrailty. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to November 1, 2023, using terms related to older adults, frailty, virtual reality, balance, mobility, and strength. Eligible studies included randomized and nonrandomized trials involving adults with frailty or prefrailty aged ≥65 years who received home-based VR interventions aimed at improving balance, strength, or functional mobility. Comparator groups included no intervention, traditional exercise, or standard care. Studies involving participants with neurological or cognitive disorders were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate pooled mean differences (MD) and 95% CIs for 3 primary outcomes: Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, and Chair Stand. Results: A total of 1063 records were identified, with 1023 screened after duplicate removal. Six studies met the inclusion criteria, involving 407 participants (mean age 75.2, SD 6.4 y), of whom 198 were allocated to VR interventions and 159 to control groups. VR interventions lasted a mean of 13.3 (SD 7.7) weeks, with an average of 39.6 (SD 5.2) sessions lasting 25.3 (SD 5) minutes. Methodological quality was high in 5 studies (mean Physiotherapy Evidence Database score=5.6, SD 1.3). Four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Significant improvements were observed in balance, as measured by the Berg Balance Scale (MD=3.62; 95% CI 2.29-4.95; P<.001; I²=0%). No significant effects were found for mobility (Timed Up and Go: MD=-0.37; 95% CI -1.16 to 0.41; P=.35; I²=0%) or strength (Chair Stand: MD=-0.20; 95% CI -1.70 to 1.29; P=.79; I²=21%). Conclusions: VR-based home exercise interventions show promise in improving balance among older adults with frailty and prefrailty. However, their effects on strength and functional mobility remain unclear. Variability in study designs and outcome measures limits the generalizability of current findings. Further high-quality research is needed to determine optimal VR training protocols and assess long-term adherence and clinical effectiveness.
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