Abstract
BACKGROUND: Radio-Taiso, a long-standing exercise program in Japan, could be a sustainable public health strategy for maintaining quality of life (QoL) in older adults with frailty. This study aimed to investigate whether Radio-Taiso provided greater benefits for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to identify the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness in this population. METHODS: A 12-week randomized controlled trial enrolled 226 older Japanese adults with pre-frailty or frailty, assessed using the modified frailty phenotype. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention (Radio-Taiso + nutrition program) or control (nutrition program) groups. The Radio-Taiso program comprised five 60-min group sessions and daily practice at the participants' homes. The primary outcome was the change in the mental domain of HRQoL, assessed using the SF-36(®). The secondary outcomes included six physical fitness items and exercise self-efficacy. RESULTS: Overall, 104 and 105 participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively, were analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle. The median daily practice rate of Radio-Taiso was 94.1% (interquartile range, 73.2-98.8%). Although general linear models adjusted for baseline values and allocation stratification factors showed that the intervention group obtained greater benefits (adjusted mean differences) in the up-and-go (0.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1 to 0.6 s), 2-min step-in-place (-3.2; 95% CI, -6.2 to -0.2 steps) tests, and exercise self-efficacy scale (-1.4; 95% CI, -2.6 to -0.1 points) than the control group, there were no group differences in changes in the mental domain score of HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Radio-Taiso provided greater benefits for agility/dynamic balance, aerobic endurance, and exercise self-efficacy in older adults with frailty; however, these changes do not improve HRQoL.