Restoring Physical Resilience: Consistent Functional and Sarcopenia Gains Across Two Vivifrail Cohorts
- 1Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Sport and Health University Research Institute (iMUDS), University of Granada, Granada,
Abstract
ObjectivesTo evaluate change in physical function and probable sarcopenia following a 36-week community multicomponent exercise programme (Vivifrail model) across two consecutive cycles, and to assess the consistency of this change between cohorts.
Study designQuasi-experimental, single-arm, repeated-measures service evaluation. Ninety-two older adults (2025-2026 cohort; mean age 75.9 years, 88.0% women) completed baseline and post-intervention assessments; an independent 2024-2025 cohort (n = 86) was analysed jointly for replication (n = 178).
Main outcome measuresShort Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score (primary); Timed Up and Go (TUG), handgrip strength, 6-metre walk time and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (secondary); probable sarcopenia (EWGSOP2), SPPB-based frailty category, and a fall-risk indicator computed identically in both cohorts.
ResultsSPPB improved by a mean of 1.33 points (Cohens d = 0.96; p < .001), with concordant improvement in all four secondary outcomes (all q < .005). 72.8% reached the substantial minimal clinically important difference. Probable sarcopenia fell from 17.4% to 5.4% (p = .006), and frailty category shifted toward higher functional levels (p < .001). Effect sizes were consistent between cohorts for SPPB, handgrip and 6-metre walk; the TimexCohort interaction was significant for TUG only. In the pooled sample, elevated fall risk fell from 19.7% to 11.2% (p = .002).
ConclusionsA 36-week multicomponent exercise programme was associated with clinically meaningful, reproducible improvement in physical function and a reduction in probable sarcopenia across two independent cohorts. The single-arm design precludes causal inference.
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BibTeX
@misc{fernandezortega2026restoring,
title = {{Restoring Physical Resilience: Consistent Functional and Sarcopenia Gains Across Two Vivifrail Cohorts}},
author = {J. Fernandez-Ortega and J. Loza-Herbella and J. A. Rangel-Garcia and A. B. Fernandez-Revelles},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.14.26365508},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.14.26365508v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Restoring Physical Resilience: Consistent Functional and Sarcopenia Gains Across Two Vivifrail Cohorts
AU - J. Fernandez-Ortega
AU - J. Loza-Herbella
AU - J. A. Rangel-Garcia
AU - A. B. Fernandez-Revelles
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.14.26365508
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.14.26365508v1
AB - ObjectivesTo evaluate change in physical function and probable sarcopenia following a 36-week community multicomponent exercise programme (Vivifrail model) across two consecutive cycles, and to assess the consistency of this change between cohorts. Study designQuasi-experimental, single-arm, repeated-measures service evaluation. Ninety-two older adults (2025-2026 cohort; mean age 75.9 years, 88.0% women) completed baseline and post-intervention assessments; an independent 2024-2025 cohort (n = 86) was analysed jointly for replication (n = 178). Main outcome measuresShort Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score (primary); Timed Up and Go (TUG), handgrip strength, 6-metre walk time and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (secondary); probable sarcopenia (EWGSOP2), SPPB-based frailty category, and a fall-risk indicator computed identically in both cohorts. ResultsSPPB improved by a mean of 1.33 points (Cohens d = 0.96; p < .001), with concordant improvement in all four secondary outcomes (all q < .005). 72.8% reached the substantial minimal clinically important difference. Probable sarcopenia fell from 17.4% to 5.4% (p = .006), and frailty category shifted toward higher functional levels (p < .001). Effect sizes were consistent between cohorts for SPPB, handgrip and 6-metre walk; the TimexCohort interaction was significant for TUG only. In the pooled sample, elevated fall risk fell from 19.7% to 11.2% (p = .002). ConclusionsA 36-week multicomponent exercise programme was associated with clinically meaningful, reproducible improvement in physical function and a reduction in probable sarcopenia across two independent cohorts. The single-arm design precludes causal inference.
ER -