Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42832337›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of frailty & aging2026

Changes in physical performance and frailty-associated risk associated with participation in a community exercise programme: Findings from the ExWell cohort.

Muireann O'Shea, Paul Doody, Noel McCaffrey, Aodhaghan O'Deasmhunaigh, Fiona Skelly, Lisa Kelly, Sean P Kennelly, Susan M Smith, Noel McCarthy

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Article in The Journal of frailty & aging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Muireann O'SheaDiscipline of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Electronic address: osheamu@tcd.ie.
Paul DoodyDiscipline of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Noel McCaffreyExWell Medical, Dublin, Ireland.
Aodhaghan O'DeasmhunaighPhysiotherapy, ExWell Medical, Dublin, Ireland.
Fiona SkellyExWell Medical, Dublin, Ireland.
Lisa KellyDiscipline of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, ExWell Medical, Dublin, Ireland.
Sean P KennellyInstitute of Memory and Cognition, Tallaght University Hospital, Dept of Medical Gerontology, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Susan M SmithDiscipline of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Noel McCarthyDiscipline of Public Health and Primary Care, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionExercise can improve physical function and reduce disability in older adults living with frailty. ExWell Medical is a national, community-based, medically supported group exercise program for people living with chronic conditions in Ireland. STUDY AIMS/

objectivesWe aimed to evaluate the longitudinal association between baseline frailty status and outcomes including gait speed in ExWell programme participants.

methodsThis is a secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study. All participants attending an ExWell Medical induction in the Dublin/Kildare regions January-September 2023 were invited to participate. At baseline, 12, and 24 weeks we collected data on socio-demographics; health behaviours; measures of physical function; patient-reported outcomes. The cohort were stratified by Clinical Frailty Scale category at baseline.

resultsWe recruited 1290 participants (mean age 69 (SD:10.9) years; 60% female. At baseline 15% of participants were classified as frail, 23% prefrail, 62% robust. Baseline frailty was associated with a higher chronic condition count, higher health service use, poorer scores on measures of physical function, EQVAS, EQ5D5L index scores. There was an inverse association between frailty and class attendance (p < 0.001). Attrition increased with increasing baseline frailty status (p = 0.006). Participants who were frail at baseline had improvements between baseline and 24-week reassessment in gait speed, timed up and go, six-minute time trial, EQVAS; prefrail participants in the sit to stand test, six-minute time trial, EQVAS, but no improvement in timed up and go. Robust participants recorded improvements in all measures.

conclusionParticipation in the ExWell programme was associated with improvements across frailty groups in community-dwelling adults living with chronic conditions.

Indexed as

AgeingExercise therapyFrailty

Identifiers

PMID42832337
PMCPMC13671327

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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.