Bestform Trial Tests Twice-Weekly Exercise to Preserve Mobility in Older Adults
A 404-participant trial tests strength, coordination, and endurance training in retirement homes. The supplied abstract does not report results.
Summary
The bestform trial evaluated whether structured exercise could help older adults living in retirement homes maintain physical function and independence. It enrolled 404 participants across 20 homes, with facilities randomly assigned to an exercise program or usual care. The program combined strength training on machines with coordination and endurance exercises, delivered in two 45-minute sessions each week for six months. Researchers planned to measure changes in physical performance, along with balance, falls, heart function, cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, and quality of life. Later questionnaires were planned to assess longer-term outcomes. Although the trial is listed as completed, the supplied abstract contains no results. It describes a potentially practical exercise approach, but does not establish benefits or safety. This summary is based on the abstract only.
Detailed Summary
Maintaining mobility helps older adults remain independent and preserve quality of life. Yet many retirement home residents do not exercise enough to maintain physical function. The bestform trial was designed to test whether a structured exercise program could help address this problem in the setting where these older adults already live.
The study enrolled 404 participants across 20 retirement homes. Facilities were randomly assigned in equal proportions to offer either the exercise program or usual care. The intervention combined strength training on machines with coordination and endurance exercises. Participants in intervention facilities were scheduled to exercise twice weekly for 45 minutes per session over six months. Randomizing facilities rather than residents made this a cluster randomized trial.
The primary outcome was change in the Short Physical Performance Battery score after six months, a measure of lower body function. Other planned assessments included mobility, balance, falls, cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, heart function, quality of life, nutrition, and activity. Assessments were scheduled at three and six months, with additional questionnaire follow-up planned at 18 and 30 months.
The supplied record lists the trial as completed, but the abstract reports no outcome data. It therefore cannot establish whether exercise improved function, reduced falls, or changed heart health. Enrollment and completion indicate that the study took place, not that the intervention worked. Any claims of benefit would require reported results comparing the exercise and usual care groups.
For clinicians and families, the study offers a concrete example of an exercise program being evaluated for older residents, rather than a proven prescription. Practical decisions should account for each resident's abilities and medical needs. This summary is based on the abstract only; attendance, safety, baseline characteristics, and statistical analyses are unavailable. Results are needed before judging effectiveness, durability, or applicability to other older adult populations.
Key Findings
- The trial enrolled 404 participants across 20 retirement homes, with facilities randomized to exercise or usual care.
- The exercise program scheduled two 45-minute sessions weekly for six months, combining strength, coordination, and endurance training.
- The primary outcome was change in the Short Physical Performance Battery score after six months.
- Planned secondary outcomes included falls, balance, heart function, cardiometabolic risk factors, and quality of life.
- No outcome results are supplied, so benefits and safety cannot be determined from this abstract.
Methodology
This cluster randomized controlled trial assigned 20 retirement homes in a 1:1 ratio to a multimodal exercise program or usual care, enrolling 404 participants. Assessments were scheduled at three and six months, with questionnaire follow-up at 18 and 30 months. The primary endpoint was change in the Short Physical Performance Battery score at six months.
Study Limitations
This summary is based on the abstract only, which describes the study design without reporting outcomes despite the completed status. Baseline characteristics, adherence, adverse events, effect sizes, and statistical methods are unavailable, preventing assessment of efficacy, safety, or generalizability.
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