An interventional study of STEP@Home Intervention and Usual care in Frailty and Geriatrics, sponsored by The University of Hong Kong. Completed at 1 site in Hong Kong. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-03.
Sponsored by The University of Hong Kong · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
This study focuses on the "Strength-based Tailored-Exercise Program at Home (STEP@Home)" aimed at improving health outcomes for geriatric patients at risk of hospitalization-associated functional decline. It is a sequential mixed-method study that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches.
The research is a pilot study to develop the STEP@Home intervention, integrating a strength-based, tailored exercise regimen for elderly patients post-hospital discharge. It addresses hospitalization-associated functional decline (HAFD) by engaging patients in sustainable self-practice of physical exercises at home. The study employs empowerment strategies, lifestyle-integrated functional exercises, and optimized tele-platform use to maximize therapeutic benefits. By focusing on empowering patients through sustainable self-practice of physical exercises at home, it aims to enhance physical functions and improve health-related quality of life. The study also has significant real-world implications, potentially offering a scalable, effective solution for the broader geriatric population to manage HAFD, thereby reducing healthcare costs and improving overall well-being. The research intends to assess the program's impact on physical functions and health-related quality of life, utilizing a sequential mixed-method approach for a comprehensive evaluation.
1,199 studies on the registry are indexed under Frailty; 430 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 80 across 681 interventional studies indexed under Frailty.
Browse Frailty studies →The University of Hong Kong is the lead sponsor of 1,262 studies on the registry; 340 are open to participants now.
Of its 8 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
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Exclusion Criteria:
This arm involves participants undergoing the 20-week STEP@Home multi-component exercise training program. The program is designed to recondition the functional status of older adults in the post-discharge period and develop long-term exercise engagement.
Behavioral: STEP@Home Intervention
Participants in this group receive the usual post-discharge care provided in the hospital setting, including general education on medication, disease-related self-care, and regular medical follow-ups.
Behavioral: Usual care
STEP@Home is a multi-component exercise program designed for prefrail older adults that incorporates active strategies to promote long-term engagement. The optimal level of training is 45-60 minutes of exercise three times per week for at least 20 weeks. For prefrailty management, emphasis is placed on balancing and resistance training (around 15-20 min each) to improve muscle strength and gross mobility and prevent falls. Aerobic and flexibility exercises (10 min each) are also included to improve fitness and walking pace. Sixteen training tasks, including but not limited to those recommended by Vivifrail, for each exercise component (namely, resistance, balance, flexibility and aerobic training) will be adopted. A training manual with step-by-step illustrations of each task in pictures and text will be provided to the subjects, together with a set of simple, easy-to-access equipment (water bottle, elastic band and weight-bearing belt) to support task fulfilment.
Usual Care Activities will be provided by the elderly community center such as dementia or caregiver supporting service. They will be allowed to use the regular service provided such services are not related to physical activity or exercise training.
The 5-item FRAIL Scale (FS)
measuring frailty status based on the five phenotypes including fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and recent weight loss. With one point assigned to each phenotype, a total score of 0 indicates 'robust,' 1-2 'prefrail' and 3-5 'frail' with good validity.
Time frame: Baseline
The 5-item FRAIL Scale (FS)
measuring frailty status based on the five phenotypes including fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and recent weight loss. With one point assigned to each phenotype, a total score of 0 indicates 'robust,' 1-2 'prefrail' and 3-5 'frail' with good validity.
Time frame: 10th week
The 5-item FRAIL Scale (FS)
measuring frailty status based on the five phenotypes including fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and recent weight loss. With one point assigned to each phenotype, a total score of 0 indicates 'robust,' 1-2 'prefrail' and 3-5 'frail' with good validity.
Time frame: 20th week
The 5-item FRAIL Scale (FS)
measuring frailty status based on the five phenotypes including fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness and recent weight loss. With one point assigned to each phenotype, a total score of 0 indicates 'robust,' 1-2 'prefrail' and 3-5 'frail' with good validity.
Time frame: 28th week
The 11-item Edmonton Frail Scale
supplementing the FS by providing more comprehensive coverage to capture frailty severity (e.g., functional independence and performance, general health status, mood) on a continuous scale.
Time frame: Baseline
The 11-item Edmonton Frail Scale
supplementing the FS by providing more comprehensive coverage to capture frailty severity (e.g., functional independence and performance, general health status, mood) on a continuous scale.
Time frame: 10th week
The 11-item Edmonton Frail Scale
supplementing the FS by providing more comprehensive coverage to capture frailty severity (e.g., functional independence and performance, general health status, mood) on a continuous scale.
Time frame: 20th week
The 11-item Edmonton Frail Scale
supplementing the FS by providing more comprehensive coverage to capture frailty severity (e.g., functional independence and performance, general health status, mood) on a continuous scale.
Time frame: 28th week
The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
combing a balance test, gait velocity and chair stand to reflect the functional capacity of older adults.21 Its score range is 0-12 in an ascending trend toward increased functional status.The SPPB has good predictive validity against functional decline, rehospitalization and mortality in older adults.
Time frame: Baseline
The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
combing a balance test, gait velocity and chair stand to reflect the functional capacity of older adults.21 Its score range is 0-12 in an ascending trend toward increased functional status.The SPPB has good predictive validity against functional decline, rehospitalization and mortality in older adults.
Time frame: 10th week
The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
combing a balance test, gait velocity and chair stand to reflect the functional capacity of older adults.21 Its score range is 0-12 in an ascending trend toward increased functional status.The SPPB has good predictive validity against functional decline, rehospitalization and mortality in older adults.
Time frame: 20th week
The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
combing a balance test, gait velocity and chair stand to reflect the functional capacity of older adults.21 Its score range is 0-12 in an ascending trend toward increased functional status.The SPPB has good predictive validity against functional decline, rehospitalization and mortality in older adults.
Time frame: 28th week
The Life Space Assessment (LSA-C)
capturing mobility level of relatively independent prefrail older adults in everyday activities. It assesses the level of mobility at five life-space levels in the past 4 weeks: living room other than the bedroom, ii) outside the house, iii) the neighborhood (within 800m of home), iv) outside the neighborhood (within 8km) and v) outside the town (beyond 16km). Example locations representing various distances from subjects' homes will be provided to facilitate the responses. The LSA-C has reliability of 0.88, with good criterion and construct validity.
Time frame: Baseline
The Life Space Assessment (LSA-C)
capturing mobility level of relatively independent prefrail older adults in everyday activities. It assesses the level of mobility at five life-space levels in the past 4 weeks: living room other than the bedroom, ii) outside the house, iii) the neighborhood (within 800m of home), iv) outside the neighborhood (within 8km) and v) outside the town (beyond 16km). Example locations representing various distances from subjects' homes will be provided to facilitate the responses. The LSA-C has reliability of 0.88, with good criterion and construct validity.
Time frame: 10th week
The Life Space Assessment (LSA-C)
capturing mobility level of relatively independent prefrail older adults in everyday activities. It assesses the level of mobility at five life-space levels in the past 4 weeks: living room other than the bedroom, ii) outside the house, iii) the neighborhood (within 800m of home), iv) outside the neighborhood (within 8km) and v) outside the town (beyond 16km). Example locations representing various distances from subjects' homes will be provided to facilitate the responses. The LSA-C has reliability of 0.88, with good criterion and construct validity.
Time frame: 20th week
The Life Space Assessment (LSA-C)
capturing mobility level of relatively independent prefrail older adults in everyday activities. It assesses the level of mobility at five life-space levels in the past 4 weeks: living room other than the bedroom, ii) outside the house, iii) the neighborhood (within 800m of home), iv) outside the neighborhood (within 8km) and v) outside the town (beyond 16km). Example locations representing various distances from subjects' homes will be provided to facilitate the responses. The LSA-C has reliability of 0.88, with good criterion and construct validity.
Time frame: 28th week
European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EuroQoL-5D-5L)
assessing Health-Related Quality of Life and generating the utility score for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. It comprises a 5-level response set (5-L), including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, and a 0-100 visual analogue scale to measure perceived health.
Time frame: Baseline
European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EuroQoL-5D-5L)
assessing Health-Related Quality of Life and generating the utility score for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. It comprises a 5-level response set (5-L), including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, and a 0-100 visual analogue scale to measure perceived health.
Time frame: 10th week
European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EuroQoL-5D-5L)
assessing Health-Related Quality of Life and generating the utility score for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. It comprises a 5-level response set (5-L), including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, and a 0-100 visual analogue scale to measure perceived health.
Time frame: 20th week
European Quality of Life 5 Dimensions 5 Level Version (EuroQoL-5D-5L)
assessing Health-Related Quality of Life and generating the utility score for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. It comprises a 5-level response set (5-L), including mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, and a 0-100 visual analogue scale to measure perceived health.
Time frame: 28th week
Unplanned hospital readmissions
will be monitored for a period of 32 weeks via the Hospital Authority Clinical Management System. Information on the date of admission, total length of stay and index diagnosis of admission will be retrieved. The research nurse will also ask the subjects about admissions to private hospitals.
Time frame: Baseline
Unplanned hospital readmissions
will be monitored for a period of 32 weeks via the Hospital Authority Clinical Management System. Information on the date of admission, total length of stay and index diagnosis of admission will be retrieved. The research nurse will also ask the subjects about admissions to private hospitals.
Time frame: 10th week
Unplanned hospital readmissions
will be monitored for a period of 32 weeks via the Hospital Authority Clinical Management System. Information on the date of admission, total length of stay and index diagnosis of admission will be retrieved. The research nurse will also ask the subjects about admissions to private hospitals.
Time frame: 20th week
Unplanned hospital readmissions
will be monitored for a period of 32 weeks via the Hospital Authority Clinical Management System. Information on the date of admission, total length of stay and index diagnosis of admission will be retrieved. The research nurse will also ask the subjects about admissions to private hospitals.
Time frame: 28th week
Plan to share: No — Only study investigators and research assistants involved in the study will have access to the data.
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