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Short exercise breaks for older nursing home residents with muscle loss

A clinical trial in people · Frontiers in public health · Oct 29, 2026

What this means

This is a plan for a trial, and it has not reported results yet. It does not show whether the exercises help, so we cannot say yet.

Plain-English summary written by an AI model from the abstract. The original is below.

Tested inPeople
Who it was tested in
Older adults with possible sarcopenia in one nursing home in China
Kind of research
A clinical trial in people

The science

Original title
Effects of exercise snacks combining resistance training and Wuqinxi on older adults with possible sarcopenia in nursing homes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
Authors
Wang J, Ji T, Dong X et al.
Journal
Frontiers in public health
Published
Oct 29, 2026
Study type
Clinical trial · in humans

Abstract

Background

To evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of a Fogg Behaviour Model-based exercise-snack intervention combining resistance training and Wuqinxi for improving physical function among older adults with possible sarcopenia living in nursing homes.

What they did

This study is a single-centre, assessor-blinded, two-arm randomised controlled trial protocol. Older adults with possible sarcopenia will be recruited from a nursing home in Changchun, China, and randomly allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either a 12-week exercise-snack intervention group or a wait-list control group. Guided by the Fogg Behaviour Model, the intervention combines resistance training and Wuqinxi delivered through short, repeated bouts of exercise to enhance exercise motivation, ability and adherence. Outcome assessments will be conducted at baseline and at weeks 4, 8 and 12. The primary outcome is physical function measured using the Short Physical Performance Battery. Secondary outcomes include upper- and lower-limb muscle strength, dynamic and static balance ability, cognitive function, exercise adherence and adverse events. Data will be analysed using linear mixed-effects models, with group, time and the group × time interaction included as fixed effects and participant-specific random intercepts.

What they found

Participant recruitment and data collection are ongoing. Study findings will be disseminated following completion of the trial and final analyses. This trial will provide evidence regarding the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of a Fogg Behaviour Model-based exercise-snack intervention for improving physical function among older adults with possible sarcopenia in nursing homes.

Other details

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2600126344).

The authors' abstract, grouped under plain headings from its own section labels.

Read it on PubMed ↗

Wang J, Ji T, Dong X et al. Effects of exercise snacks combining resistance training and Wuqinxi on older adults with possible sarcopenia in nursing homes: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in public health. 2026. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1960282. PMID: 42952831. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42952831/

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