TY - JOUR 
A1 - García Hermoso, Antonio
AU - Ramírez Vélez, Robinson
AU - Sáez de Asteasu, Mikel L.
AU - Martínez Velilla, Nicolás
AU - Zambom Ferraresi, Fabricio
AU - Valenzuela Ruiz, Pedro Luis
AU - Lucía Mulas, Alejandro
AU - Izquierdo Gabarren, Mikel
T1 - Safety and Effectiveness of Long-Term Exercise Interventions in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Y1 - 2020
SN - 0112-1642

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11268/8861
AB - Background
Physical exercise is beneficial to reduce the risk of several conditions associated with advanced age, but to our knowledge, no previous study has examined the association of long-term exercise interventions (≥ 1 year) with the occurrence of dropouts due to health issues and mortality, or the effectiveness of physical exercise versus usual primary care interventions on health-related outcomes in older adults (≥ 65 years old).

Objective
To analyze the safety and effectiveness of long-term exercise interventions in older adults.

Methods
We conducted a systematic review with meta-analysis examining the association of long-term exercise interventions (≥ 1 year) with dropouts from the corresponding study due to health issues and mortality (primary endpoint), and the effects of these interventions on health-related outcomes (falls and fall-associated injuries, fractures, physical function, quality of life, and cognition) (secondary endpoints).

Results
Ninety-three RCTs and six secondary studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analyses (n = 28,523 participants, mean age 74.2 years). No differences were found between the exercise and control groups for the risk of dropouts due to health issues (RR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.95–1.17) or mortality (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.83–1.04), although a lower mortality risk was observed in the former group when separately analyzing clinical populations (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.48–0.95). Exercise significantly reduced the number of falls and fall-associated injuries, and improved physical function and cognition. These results seemed independent of participants’ baseline characteristics (age, physical function, and cognitive status) and exercise frequency.

Conclusions
Long-term exercise training does not overall influence the risk of dropouts due to health issues or mortality in older adults, and results in a reduced mortality risk in clinical populations. Moreover, exercise reduces the number of falls and fall-associated injuries, and improves physical function and cognition in this population.
KW - Ancianos
KW - Ejercicio físico
KW - Calidad de vida
KW - Anciano
KW - Deporte
KW - Calidad de vida
LA - eng
ER -