Page 14 - IJPS-11-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Exercise and frailty in older adults

notable presence of institutions from North America and adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of patient
East Asia, reflecting the global interest in this research experiences, feasibility, and implementation barriers (Niazi
area. The dispersion of publishing across 136 institutions et al., 2022). Mixed-methods approaches could provide
suggests opportunities for newer groups to make significant richer contextual insights, which are crucial for optimizing
contributions, provided adequate collaborations can be interventions. Another significant gap is the predominant
forged. focus on physical performance outcomes, such as
strength, balance, and mobility (Ip et al., 2012). Patient-
3.4.2. Prominent journals for publications on exercise reported outcomes, including quality of life, well-being,
and frailty and social connectedness, are measured less frequently
The analysis of collaborative patterns and networks reveals (Ligezka et al., 2022). Expanding outcome measurements
geographical clustering with some inter-regional links to include psychosocial impacts could provide a more
between leading groups. Regional clusters are evident, with holistic evaluation of interventions. There is also a dearth
strong collaborations among European, North American, of health economic analyses and cost-effectiveness data,
and Asian countries. However, cross-cluster collaborations which are crucial for informing policy decisions regarding
are also visible, with countries such as Spain, the USA, and reimbursement and the scaled-up delivery of interventions
Australia occupying central positions, bridging multiple (Meunier., 2022). In addition, implementation research
regional clusters. At the institutional level, prominent and knowledge translation studies are lacking, reflected
nodes like the University of Valencia and the University by the gaps between evidence and practice in adopting
of Coimbra anchor research hubs within their respective frailty exercise programs (Li et al., 2023; Yi et al., 2023).
regional clusters, while institutions like the University of Future research should address these gaps while exploring
Sydney and Tufts University enjoy high global connectivity. emerging priority areas such as technology-enabled exercise
The visualization highlights the potential for targeted interventions, cognitive training, nutritional approaches,
partnerships bridging regional clusters, which could pre-frailty prevention, and risk-stratified protocols tailored
enhance the vibrancy of global research collaborations in to specific frailty profiles (Jeong et al., 2022). Continued
the fields of frailty and exercise. international cooperation, evidence sharing, and integrated
knowledge translation can help advance research on frailty
3.5. Current research gaps and future hotspots for and exercise for greater impact. Figure 5 provides an
further research on exercise and frailty illustration of the thematic map of the field.
The bibliometric analysis in this review reveals several 4. Discussion
gaps in the literature on frailty and exercise. The vast
majority of studies utilize quantitative methodologies, The bibliometric analysis conducted in this review
such as randomized controlled trials and cohort studies provides a comprehensive overview of research activity,
(Reeves et al., 2018). However, qualitative designs are rarely collaborations, and intellectual structure in the field of

Figure 5. Thematic map of the research on exercise and frailty. Map created with Biblioshiny

Volume 11 Issue 1 (2025) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3282