Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42594504›Full record

ArticleThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2026

Effects of a multidomain intervention on physical performance and sarcopenia in long-term care facility residents: The I-COUNT pilot randomized controlled trial.

Chiara Ceolin, Giulia Pasolini, Mario Virgilio Papa, Giacomo Scotti, Alvise Bobbo, Eleonora Macchia, Alessia Ghidini, Zaira Romeo, Giuseppe Sergi, Marina De Rui and 5 more

Erratum issued Registry-linked trialAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to trial NCT06820710 (Multidomain Interventions to Improve the COgnitive and fUNctional Well-being of Elderly Individuals in Residential sTructures), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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.

NCT06820710 nacompletednot on this map

Multidomain Interventions to Improve the COgnitive and fUNctional Well-being of Elderly Individuals in Residential sTructures (I-COUNT)

TypeinterventionalSponsorIstituto di Neuroscienze Consiglio Nazionale delle RicercheRan2025 to 2025Enrolled90ConditionsAging, Age-Related Cognitive Decline, Sarcopenia, Long Term Care FacilityArmsPhysical activity, Cognitive stimulation, Nutritional Intervention, Vaccinations
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Chiara CeolinDepartment of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Aging Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden.
Giulia PasoliniDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Science, University of Brescia, Italy.
Mario Virgilio PapaDepartment of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Padua, Italy. Electronic address: mariovirgilio.papa@phd.unipd.it.
Giacomo ScottiDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Science, University of Brescia, Italy.
Alvise BobboNeuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy.
Eleonora MacchiaNeuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy.
Alessia GhidiniAzienda Speciale Cremona Solidale, Cremona, Italy.
Zaira RomeoNeuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy.
Giuseppe SergiDepartment of Medicine (DIMED), University of Padua, Padua, Italy; Geriatrics Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Marina De RuiGeriatrics Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Simona GentileAzienda Speciale Cremona Solidale, Cremona, Italy.
Stefania MaggiNeuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy.
Alessandro MorandiDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Science, University of Brescia, Italy; Geriatrics Unit, University Hospital of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Marianna NoaleNeuroscience Institute, National Research Council, Padova, Italy.
I-COUNT study group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPopulation aging requires multidimensional strategies to preserve physical function and prevent sarcopenia. The I-COUNT pilot study evaluated the effect of a multidomain intervention in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) residents, hypothesizing improvements in physical performance, muscle strength, and sarcopenia compared to usual care.

methodsResidents aged ≥70 years from two Italian LTCFs were screened, and 90 participants were enrolled in a 6-month pilot cluster-randomized controlled trial and allocated to a multidomain intervention (physical training, cognitive stimulation, Mediterranean diet enriched with functional foods, and vaccination promotion) or usual care. Physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery, SPPB), handgrip strength, body composition, and sarcopenia according to European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2) criteria were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Changes over time were analyzed using mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, and study center.

resultsBaseline characteristics were comparable between groups. At 6 months, participants receiving the intervention showed significant improvements in physical performance (SPPB: +1.6 points vs. + 0.3 in controls; between-group difference: +1.8 points, p = 0.001), and muscle strength (handgrip: +3.2 kg vs. -0.1 kg in controls; between-group difference: +3.8 kg, p = 0.026). No significant between-group differences were found for the 6-minute walk test or anthropometric measures. Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASMM) tended to be preserved in the intervention group while declining in controls (between-group difference approaching +0.9 kg, p = 0.057). Sarcopenia prevalence decreased in the intervention group (37.1% to 15.4%) and remained stable in controls (28.4% to 29.9%), with a borderline group-by-time interaction (p = 0.109).

conclusionsA multidomain intervention is safe, feasible, and potentially effective for improving physical performance and preventing the progression of sarcopenia in LTCF residents. Given the pilot nature of this study, these findings warrant confirmation through larger randomized controlled trials. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT06820710.

Indexed as

Long-term care facilitiesMultidomain interventionMuscle strengthPhysical performanceSarcopenia

Identifiers

PMID42594504
PMCPMC13495356

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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.