Efficacy of a multicomponent exercise training program intervention in community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cluster randomized controlled trial.

The intervention combined group exercise, home exercise, self-management recording, online videos, and nurse monitoring, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. There were no assessments at 8 weeks, so the effects of the pre-closure and closure stages cannot be distinguished. Physical activity was self-reported, and the trial was single-blinded because only data collectors were unaware of allocation. Participants had to own a smartphone and have no hearing, vision, or cognitive difficulties, so results may not apply to older adults without these abilities. The control arm received only a health-education leaflet before closure and no intervention during closure, so it is unclear how much attention or education affected results. Authors did not assess socioeconomic status, satisfaction, or self-efficacy, and did not include volunteer and research manpower costs in cost considerations. The study was done during pandemic restrictions near an international airport, so usual community activity access may differ from other settings. The control arm had better tandem stand at baseline, so some between-arm differences may reflect baseline imbalance.

Funding came from the Ministry of Science and Technology and Chang Gung University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. The authors stated the funding source did not design, execute, analyze, interpret, or decide to submit the study, and they declared no competing interests.

Do not conclude that a single exercise component caused the benefit. The intervention combined weekly supervised group exercise, home exercise, self-management recording, LINE videos, and nurse monitoring, and the study did not separate those parts.