Personally Tailored Exercises for Improving Physical Outcomes for Older Adults in the Community: A Systematic Review

Purpose: To identify the effects of personally tailored exercise programmes for improving physical outcomes amongst older people living in the community.

Methods: Four databases (the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science) were searched (from inception until Jan 25th, 2022) for original articles. All studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental trials reporting the effects of personally tailored exercise programmes on physical outcomes. Two independent reviewers extracted trial data and assessed the risk of bias using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Back Review Group and the Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS).

Results: Of the 7310 articles that were screened, 10 articles including 959 participants met the inclusion criteria. Nine of the included studies reported significant improvements in physical outcomes including balance, strength, mobility and physical activity, and disease symptoms. Meta-analysis was not conducted due to the heterogeneity of study designs and outcome measures.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that personally tailored exercises based on assessments of physical function may be a safe and effective approach to improve physical outcomes in older adults living in the community. However, personally tailored exercise has no advantage in improving exercise adherence or economic benefits, and thus, further high-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes and qualitative studies are needed to better understand the effectiveness of personally tailored exercise and the attitude of elderly individuals towards such exercise. Future research should consider not only physical functions but also psychological factors when developing personalized exercise programs.