• M Serra-Prat, X Sist, R Domenich, L Jurado, A Saiz, A Roces, E Palomera, M Tarradelles, and M Papiol.
• Research Unit, Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Mataró, Barcelona, Spain.
• Age Ageing. 2017 May 1; 46 (3): 401-407.

Backgroundevidence on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent frailty is scarce.Objectiveto assess the effect of an intervention in preventing frailty progression in pre-frail older people.Study Designa randomised, open label, controlled trial with two parallel arms.Populationcommunity-dwelling pre-frail older people (≥70 years) consulting in primary care.Interventionnutritional assessment (and derivation to a Nutritional Unit for usual care in the event of nutritional risk) and a physical activity programme including aerobic exercise and a set of mixed strengthening, balance and coordination exercises.Control Grouppatients receiving the usual care.Main Outcome Measureprevalence of frailty (Fried criteria) at 12 months.Secondary Outcomes Measuresfunctional capacity (Barthel index), falls and nutritional status (Short-Form Mini Nutritional Assessment) on follow-up at 12 months.Resultsone hundred and seventy-two participants were recruited and randomised (mean age: 78.3 years; mean number of Fried criteria: 1.45). Thirty-nine participants (22.6%) were dropped out during the study. At follow-up, 4.9% of the intervention group and 15.3% of the control group had evolved to frailty, for a crude odds ratio (OR) of 0.29 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.08-1.08; P = 0.052) and an adjusted (by age, gender and number of co-morbidities) OR of 0.19 (95% CI: 0.04-0.95; P = 0.044). Intervention group showed a higher outdoors walking hour per day (0.97 versus 0.73; P = 0.019) but no difference was observed in muscle strength, gait speed or other functional indicators.Conclusionan intervention focused on physical exercise and maintaining good nutritional status may be effective in preventing frailty in community-dwelling pre-frail older individuals.Clinical Trials.Gov IdentifierNCT02138968.© The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

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