Exercise rankings varied by physical test in older adults with prefrailty
A review ranked elastic bands highest for grip strength and a progressive exercise–Tai chi combination highest for physical performance, but the abstract does not report the size of their advantages.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
In older adults with prefrailty, the exercise approach ranked highest depended on the test. Elastic bands led the grip-strength ranking, while progressive exercise with a Tai-chi snacking program led rankings for physical performance and timed mobility. These rankings do not show how large or clinically meaningful the differences between exercise approaches were.
Exercise duration and long-term follow-up are not described. Without numerical comparisons or details of individual trials, this abstract-based account cannot establish which program offers the most meaningful benefit.
What was compared
The review brought together randomized exercise trials and compared handgrip strength, a physical performance battery, and a timed mobility test. Different outcomes drew on different subsets of trials, so the rankings do not reflect identical evidence.
What rankings mean
The reported percentages describe each intervention's place in a ranking system; they are not percentage improvements in strength or balance. The abstract omits comparison estimates and uncertainty needed to judge how convincingly one approach outperformed another.
The original publication
The effectiveness of exercise interventions on muscle strength and balance function in pre-frail older adults: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis.
Ma N, Lu Z, Mei X et al.
Front Public Health · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41675088
- Record checked
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