Multidomain intervention for delaying aging in community-dwelling older adults (MIDA): study design and protocol

Abstract

Background: The exploration of interventions to delay aging is an emerging topic that promotes healthy aging. The multidomain intervention has the potential to be applied in the field of aging because it concentrates on the functional ability of older adults. There is currently no literature reporting on a multidomain intervention involving cognition, exercise and nutrition for delaying aging.

Methods: The Multidomain Intervention for Delaying Aging in Community-dwelling Older Adults (MIDA) is a Zelen-design randomized controlled trial with a 6-month intervention duration. The multidomain intervention comprises cognitive training, exercise training, and nutritional guidance, delivered through both group sessions and individual family interventions. A total of 248 participants aged 60 to 85 years will be randomized to the intervention group or control group and followed up for 12 months. The primary outcome is the change in epigenetic age acceleration and pace of aging following the multidomain intervention. The secondary outcomes are the changes in frailty score and intrinsic capacity Z-score. Other outcomes include physical functions, body composition, aging biomarkers, inflammatory markers, haematology and biochemistry parameters, and lifestyle factors.

Conclusions: This study will explore the effects of the multidomain intervention on delaying aging in community-dwelling older adults. We aim to introduce a new approach to delaying aging and offer a practical multidomain intervention strategy for healthcare institutions.

Keywords: DNA methylation age; Multidomain intervention; biological age; frailty; intrinsic capacity.

Figure 1.

Example of mobile check-in records through the ‘SilverHealth Pro Platform’ app in the individual family intervention. a: The main interface of the app allows participants to begin documenting their exercise training, cognitive training, and dietary records by clicking on ‘MIDA Health Diary’ Participants can view exercise examples in the form of pictures or videos by selecting different exercise options. b: In the exercise training section, participants will log the number of completed groups for each exercise movement. c: In the cognitive training section, participants will record the number of pages completed or the duration spent on each cognitive task from the cognitive training workbook. If needed, they can also upload pictures of the completed tasks. d: In the dietary record section, participants will sequentially log their daily meals, including staple foods, protein-rich foods, vegetables, fruits, and fats. If needed, they can upload pictures of their meals and add notes about the number of diners. This figure originates from software owned by the Fujian Provincial Center for Geriatrics and Fujian Provincial Institute of Clinical Geriatrics.

Figure 2.

Flow chart of multidomain intervention.