A planned study of exercise and meal plans for frail older adults with heart problems

Background: Muscle mass loss and metabolic dysfunction, exacerbated by inactivity and nutritional inadequacies, underpin both cardiovascular disease and frailty in ageing. The investigators' proposal seeks to develop interventions in exercise and diet that are targeted for older adults with cardiac frailty.

Methods:

The investigators' proposal is a five-year study comprising of first phase (first 2-2.5 years) and second phase (next 2-2.5 years). In the first phase cardiac frail participants (up to N=500) from each healthcare transition (inpatient hospital, step-down community hospital, outpatient clinic/community) will be randomized to receive Intervention Sets or usual care. The second phase will scale up these programs. Three Intervention Sets A, B, and C will be implemented in the outpatient, step-down community hospital, and acute hospital settings. Diet intervention comprises meal sets prepared with nutrients involved in energy metabolism. Exercise training is facilitated by hospital gyms and hospital physiotherapists. Diet and exercise behavior will be monitored using questionnaires, video conferencing and meal photos.

Significance: Clinical studies are urgently needed using consistent frailty tools to evaluate the efficacy and promise of frailty interventions, targeted to achieve reversal/retardation of frailty. When scaled up, these approaches will provide high-quality science needed to manage cardiac frailty towards healthier population ageing.