Effects of exercise interventions on physical function, cognitive function and quality of life of frail older adults in nursing homes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

作者：Yingbo Zhu, Yu Zhang, Li Xiao, Zhijuan Du · 发表于：Frontiers in Psychology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1679734 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Frailty in Older Adults、Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention、Health and Well-being Studies

Objective Older adults often face frailty as they age, characterized by a decline in physical and mental health, leading to increased reliance on caregiving services, particularly in nursing homes. Exercise interventions have emerged as an effective means of improving health outcomes, but their efficacy for this population remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of exercise interventions on physical function, cognitive function and quality of life of frail older people in a nursing facility. Methods Data were systematically collected from five major databases and analyzed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 17.0. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to evaluate health outcomes—including physical function, cognitive function, and quality of life—among frail older adults, and heterogeneity was assessed using the I 2 statistic. Results A total of 16 studies comprising 1,444 participants (mean age ranging from 73.3 ± 6.4 to 87.3 ± 5.3 years) were included in the meta-analysis. The findings consistently demonstrated that exercise interventions produced significant improvements across multiple domains, including physical performance [ SMD = 0.54, 95% CI (0.38, 0.70), p < 0.001], mobility [ SMD = −2.42, 95% CI (−3.96, −0.87), Z = 3.07, p < 0.05], muscle strength [ SMD = 2.00, 95% CI [0.32, 3.68], p < 0.05], quality of life [ SMD = 1.94, 95% CI (0.37, 3.51), p < 0.05], and cognitive function...