An interventional study of Exercise in Sarcopenia in Elderly, Hospital Associated Disability and Malnutrition Elderly, sponsored by Bispebjerg Hospital. Recruiting at 1 site in Denmark. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.
Sponsored by Bispebjerg Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Aproximately a third of persons older than 70 years lose physical function and ability to take care of themselves during a stay at a hospital. This is associated to an increased risk of readmission and mortality. Earlier research has shown that insufficient nutrition and physical activity during hospital stay, leading to a loss in muscle mass and strength, plays an important role in this fall in functionality. This study aims to examine if a structured and supervised resistance and mobility exercise intervention, can prevent this fall in functional ability during hospital stay among older patients. The Impact of nutritional status will be investigated by registrering caloric, protein and hydtrational intake during the study period.
Older persons are highly susceptible to hospital associated disability (HAD), defined by a loss of physical function during hospitalization, leading to increased dependency, morbidity, and mortality. Key factors in developing HAD are physical inactivity, malnutrition and dehydration, leading to a decline in muscle mass and muscle strength. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective nutritional and exercise interventions for older patients, during hospitalization. Hypothesis: This study expects that a mobility-graded individualized exercise intervention will effectively prevent a decline in activities of daily living (ADL) function, mobility level, physical function, muscle and strength, and reduce the length of stay, risk of re-admission and mortality among older patients during hospital stay. The investigators furthermore hypothesize that sufficcient nutrition and hydration will improve the impact of the exercise intervention. The study is designed as a randomized controlled trial, and will include 360 participants, men and women, ≥ 65 years old from the geriatric care unit of Bispebjerg Hospital, Denmark. After inclusion, participants will have estimated nutritional status, frailty and mobility, muscle mass and strength, physical function, ADL function, cognitive function and quality of life. Futhermore, blood samples for analysis of anabolic and inflammatory biomarkers as well as microbiome samples will be taken at baseline testing. After baseline testing, the participants will be divided randomely 1:1 into a control group and an intervention group. All participants will have nutritional and hydrational intake registered and wear accelerometers during the study period. The participants in the intervention group will receive 2 x 30 minutes supervised exercise (resistance and mobility) every day during the stury period. At discharge or transfer from the geriatric care unit, participants will be tested for mobility, muscle mass and strength, physical function, ADL function, cognitive function and quality of life. 1 Month after discharge from hospital, the participants will recieve af telefon interview, reporting on ADL-function, mobility, quality of life and nutritional status. Participants succesfully reached by telephone interview, will be asked further permission for a homevisit, where muscle strength and mass, physical function, mobility, cognitive function and ADL function will be evaluated.
1,329 studies on the registry are indexed under Sarcopenia; 420 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 360 is above the median of 60 across 855 interventional studies indexed under Sarcopenia.
Browse Sarcopenia studies →Bispebjerg Hospital is the lead sponsor of 289 studies on the registry; 29 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The control group will recieve usual care at the geriatric care unit, with mobility exercise performed based on individual preferences and ability, performed by regular care personelle and regular physiotherapy staff.
The exercise intervention group will recieve two times 30 minutes of supervised exercise (mobility and resistance exercise) every day during their stay at the geriatrich care unit.
Other: Exercise
The participants in the intervention group will recieve supervised exercise two times 30 minutes each day during hospitalization. The first exercise pass consists of resistance exercise, and can be performed supine in bed, sitting on the edge of the bed, and in a close-by exercise area, based on participants mobility level. The second exercise pass consists of mobility exercise, aiming to transfer the participant from supine in the bed to sitting position, transfer to chair, walking with or without walking aids or walking on stairs.
Also known as: Training, Physiotheraphy
Changes in activities of daily living (ADL) function, by Barthel index-100
describes the level of independence in activities of daily living, score of 0 equals total dependence and a score of 100 equals total independence
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in mobility by Cumulated Ambulation Score
Cumulated Ambulation Score (assesed mobility, 0 (lowest)-6(highest))
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge
Changes in Knee extension strength,
(Knee extension strength, maximal voluntary contraction, newton meter)
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in Hand Grip Strength
Hand grip strength, kilogram
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in Sit-to-stand performance
Sit-to-stand test, number of repetitions in 30 seconds, continous scale
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in Gait speed
Gait speed, velocity (meters/seconds)
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in Quadriceps muscle thickness
Quadriceps muscle thickness, ultrasound, millimeters
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in muscle mass
muscle mass, bioimpedance analysis, kilogram
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in appetite
appetite, simplified nutritional appettite questionaire. Scale, 4-20, lower values indicates higher risk of insufficient nutritional intake
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Changes in quality of life
quality of life, EuroQol- 5Dimensions-5 levels, questionaire, scale from 1-5 i each of five dimensions, higher scores indicates lower quality of life
Time frame: From enrollment to discharge/transfer from the geriatric care unit (aproximately 5 days), measured again 1 month after discharge.
Readmission 30 days from discharge
Participants readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, categorical yes or no
Time frame: From inclusion to 30 days after discharge from hospital
Mortality 30 days, 90 days and 1 year after discharge
Participant diseased at 30 days, 90 days or 1 year after discharge from hospital, categorical, yes/no
Time frame: From inclusion to 1 year after discharge from hospital
Changes in municipal care needs at discharge, 1 month and 3 months after discharge
Need for municipal care services, number of weekly visits, minutes of care service
Time frame: Retrospectively 14 days berfore inclusion to 3 months after discharge from hospital
Discharge destination
Discharged to own home, temporary rehabillitation or permanent care facility, categorical, yes or no
Time frame: From inclusion to discharge from hospital (aproximately 5 days after inclusion)
Physical activity during hospitalization
Steps taken and time upright, accelerometer
Time frame: From inclusion to discharge from hospital (aproximately 5 days after inclusion)
Plan to share: Yes — We will share the protocol for the exercise intervention, as well as participants charecteristics and outcome data, in a data repository, when the data can be fully anonymized
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan
Time frame: When the main study is published, estimated 1. march 2028, with no end date
Access criteria: Data repository, URL link within the published study
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started Feb 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2027, 19 months after the start.
Of 492 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Sarcopenia, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 34. This study's planned 19 months is close to that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 503 studies reached it within 18 months; a quarter within 8 and three quarters within 34.
Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Sep 30, 2026: primary completion Feb 2027 → Sep 2027 and completion Feb 2028 → Sep 2028.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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