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Aim: Radio‐Taiso, a traditional exercise program in Japan, may serve as a coping strategy for older adults with frailty during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This phase II trial tested program adherence and safety and explored the potential effectiveness of a home‐based Radio‐Taiso. Methods: This assessor‐blind parallel randomized controlled trial included community‐dwelling Jolder Japanese adults with frailty and pre‐frailty. Fifty‐eight eligible participants were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. Intervention participants performed 3–5‐min sessions of Radio‐Taiso one to four times per day for 12 weeks. Feasibility criteria were set at practice and retention rates of ≥75%. Safety was monitored by assessing all adverse events reported by participants during the intervention period, irrespective of causality. Potential effectiveness was exploratorily assessed using items that allow clinical interpretation of changes: mobility and health‐related quality of life (HR‐QoL), assessed using the modified short physical performance battery (SPPB) and the SF‐36, respectively. Results: Both practice (83%) and retention rates (100%) met the predetermined feasibility criteria. Eleven adverse events were reported but were supposedly unrelated to the intervention. In the intention‐to‐treat analysis, there was no clinically significant difference in the change in SPPB score between groups (−0.4 points, 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.2, 0.3); however, the intervention group scored higher in the mental component of HR‐QoL than did the control group (3.4 points, 95% CI: −1.1, 7.8). Conclusions: The preliminary data indicate that a phase III trial is feasible, focusing on the mental aspect of HR‐QoL as the primary outcome. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 32–37. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether a complex course obstacle negotiation exercise (CC), a 24-week exercise program, can reduce falls and fractures in older adults, as compared with a simple course obstacle negotiation exercise (SC). Methods: This trial was carried out on older adults, aged 75 years and above in Japan. In total, 157 participants were randomized into the CC group ( n = 78) and the SC group ( n = 79). Participants were enrolled in the exercise class using the CC program or the SC program for 24 weeks. The outcome measure was the number of falls and fracture rates in CC and SC groups for 12 months after the completion of the 24-week exercise class. Results: Two participants (2.8%) in the CC group and 19 (26.0%) in the SC group experienced falls during 12 months. During the 12-month follow-up period after the intervention, the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of falls in the SC group against the CC group was 9.37 (95% CI = 2.26-38.77). One participant (1.4%) in the CC group and eight (10.9%) in the SC group had experienced fractures during 12 months after the exercise class. The IRR of fractures in the SC group compared with the CC group was 7.89 (95% CI = 1.01-61.49). Conclusions: The results of the present trial show that the participants who received individualized obstacle avoidance training under complex tasks combined with a traditional intervention had a lower incidence rate of falls and fractures during the 12 months after the intervention. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2012; 12: 461-467. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]