Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study

Multi-component interventions have been demonstrated to be an effective method for the prevention of frailty. Nevertheless, they have not yet been widely adopted in practice due to considerable resource and labor demands associated with their administration. To overcome the limitations, this study a...

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Main Authors: Changseok Lee, Jehun Lee, Heeyoung Jeong, Haeram Lee, Eunah Wang, Gyungyoon Baek, Hyeri Shin, Seongjun Yoon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Sensors
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3674
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author Changseok Lee
Jehun Lee
Heeyoung Jeong
Haeram Lee
Eunah Wang
Gyungyoon Baek
Hyeri Shin
Seongjun Yoon
author_facet Changseok Lee
Jehun Lee
Heeyoung Jeong
Haeram Lee
Eunah Wang
Gyungyoon Baek
Hyeri Shin
Seongjun Yoon
author_sort Changseok Lee
collection DOAJ
description Multi-component interventions have been demonstrated to be an effective method for the prevention of frailty. Nevertheless, they have not yet been widely adopted in practice due to considerable resource and labor demands associated with their administration. To overcome the limitations, this study aimed to determine the feasibility of unsupervised intervention based on digital therapy. A mobile application has been developed to deliver multi-component exercise coaching to frail older adults. A total of 30 participants (with a mean age of 72.10 ± 4.54 years) were recruited from two community centers and used the mobile application for 12 weeks without supervision. Prior to utilizing the mobile application, each participant received an initial education. Outcomes of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of weight (K-FRAIL) scale, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), self-efficacy, and depression, were evaluated before and after using the mobile application. Significant improvements in the mean SPPB score (9.6 ± 1.7 to 11.7 ± 0.5) and depression (3.23 ± 3.08 to 2.00 ± 2.11) were observed. The total adherence rate of all participants was 86.1%. No statistically significant differences were observed in the remaining outcomes. These findings suggest that the unsupervised intervention could be a viable option for older adults.
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spelling doaj-art-95d3adf4703b4113b2fc498030fe7bbb2025-08-20T02:21:53ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-06-012512367410.3390/s25123674Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility StudyChangseok Lee0Jehun Lee1Heeyoung Jeong2Haeram Lee3Eunah Wang4Gyungyoon Baek5Hyeri Shin6Seongjun Yoon7DYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Gerontology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si 17104, Republic of KoreaDYPHI Research Institute, DYPHI Inc., Daejeon 34134, Republic of KoreaMulti-component interventions have been demonstrated to be an effective method for the prevention of frailty. Nevertheless, they have not yet been widely adopted in practice due to considerable resource and labor demands associated with their administration. To overcome the limitations, this study aimed to determine the feasibility of unsupervised intervention based on digital therapy. A mobile application has been developed to deliver multi-component exercise coaching to frail older adults. A total of 30 participants (with a mean age of 72.10 ± 4.54 years) were recruited from two community centers and used the mobile application for 12 weeks without supervision. Prior to utilizing the mobile application, each participant received an initial education. Outcomes of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), the Korean version of the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of weight (K-FRAIL) scale, activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), self-efficacy, and depression, were evaluated before and after using the mobile application. Significant improvements in the mean SPPB score (9.6 ± 1.7 to 11.7 ± 0.5) and depression (3.23 ± 3.08 to 2.00 ± 2.11) were observed. The total adherence rate of all participants was 86.1%. No statistically significant differences were observed in the remaining outcomes. These findings suggest that the unsupervised intervention could be a viable option for older adults.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3674frailtyunsupervised interventiondigital interventionphysical performanceSPPB
spellingShingle Changseok Lee
Jehun Lee
Heeyoung Jeong
Haeram Lee
Eunah Wang
Gyungyoon Baek
Hyeri Shin
Seongjun Yoon
Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
Sensors
frailty
unsupervised intervention
digital intervention
physical performance
SPPB
title Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
title_full Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
title_fullStr Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
title_full_unstemmed Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
title_short Unsupervised Frailty Intervention by Digitalized Exercise Coaching: A Feasibility Study
title_sort unsupervised frailty intervention by digitalized exercise coaching a feasibility study
topic frailty
unsupervised intervention
digital intervention
physical performance
SPPB
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/12/3674
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AT haeramlee unsupervisedfrailtyinterventionbydigitalizedexercisecoachingafeasibilitystudy
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