Page 8 - IJPS-11-1

International Journal of
Population Studies Exercise and frailty in older adults

quadrupling from 461 million in 2004 (Fent, 2008; Lutz • RQ1: What are the publication trends in research on
et al., 2008). This stark reality amplifies the urgency to exercise and frailty over the past two decades?
address frailty; a multidimensional geriatric syndrome • RQ2: What are the main research themes and hotspots
characterized by decreased physiological reserves and that have emerged from keyword analysis?
heightened vulnerability to adverse health outcomes (Feng • RQ3: What are the current research gaps and future
et al., 2017; Walsh et al., 2023). Estimates suggest that over hotspots that should be prioritized for further research
10% of older adults globally are afflicted by this debilitating on exercise and frailty?
condition (Clegg et al., 2013).
Frailty’s deleterious consequences, including functional 2. Methods
decline, hospitalization, and increased mortality, 2.1. Bibliometric and procedural analysis
underscore the imperative for effective interventions In this review, a bibliometric analysis was conducted using
(Fiatarone et al., 1994; Iskandar et al., 2021). Exercise data retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus
has emerged as a promising therapeutic modality, with databases (Vieira & Gomes, 2009). Both Scopus and WoS
mounting evidence supporting its potential to prevent, provide comprehensive coverage of research output, with the
delay, or even reverse frailty in later life (Binder et al., core documents in both databases having a higher citation
2005). However, the heterogeneity of frailty manifestations impact (Azizan & Zaki, 2023). WoS and Scopus cover a broad
and individual variations in functional capacity necessitate range of academic disciplines, making them suitable for
a nuanced approach to exercise prescription for this capturing relevant studies from different fields related to the
vulnerable population (Huang et al., 2020). relationship between exercise and frailty (Azizan et al., 2024).
Over the past two decades, research exploring exercise The literature search was performed on January 6, 2024,
interventions for frailty has expanded significantly, with no date restrictions, including all document types and
investigating diverse modalities such as resistance training languages. Searching within the “title” field in bibliometric
(Wolf et al., 2006), aerobic exercise (De Labra et al., 2015), analysis ensures precision by targeting articles where search
tai chi (Cesari et al., 2014), and multicomponent programs terms, such as “exercise” and “frail” or “frailty” are central.
(Muscedere et al., 2019). Concurrently, efforts have This approach increases relevance and efficiency and focuses
intensified to optimize exercise parameters, progression on capturing studies directly related to the main themes
criteria, and implementation strategies tailored to frail of interest. Figure 1 illustrates the employed systematic
individuals (Wang et al., 2022). Nonetheless, the lack of approach. The following search strings were used:
consensus on diagnostic criteria and outcome measures
continues to hinder the synthesis and translation of • WoS: “exercise” (Title) and “frail” OR “frailty” (Title)
findings across studies (Li et al., 2022). • Scopus: (TITLE (“exercise”) AND TITLE (“frail” OR
“frailty”))
As the global burden of frailty escalates, optimizing
exercise interventions has become a pressing priority. The initial search yielded 970 papers. After omitting
A bibliometric analysis was conducted in this review to 205 articles based on document type, 765 papers remained.
map the evolution, intellectual structure, and collaborative Duplicated articles found in both databases were removed,
networks within the research landscape on exercise and leaving a final set of 447 papers (335 from WoS, 112 from
frailty over the past two decades. By identifying research Scopus). Publication trends over time (RQ1) were analyzed
hotspots, knowledge clusters, and gaps, this review using the scientometric tool ScientoPy. To identify knowledge
endeavors to inform future research agendas and facilitate clusters and emerging topics for the second research
the translation of evidence into practice, ultimately question (RQ2), co-citation analysis was performed using
fostering healthier aging trajectories worldwide. VOSviewer, while keyword co-occurrence analysis, which
also sheds light on evolving topics, utilized both VOSviewer
The specific objectives of this bibliometric analysis are and the Biblioshiny app. Research gaps and future directions,
twofold: (i) To elucidate changes over time in research corresponding to the third research question (RQ3), were
themes, trends, and patterns of scientific collaboration determined through an integrative analysis synthesizing the
within the field of exercise and frailty, and (ii) to determine various bibliometric results obtained.
research hotspots and knowledge clusters through
co-citation and keyword analysis, while simultaneously 3. Results
pinpointing research gaps and future directions to 3.1. Key bibliometric information
guide further inquiry in this domain. To achieve these
objectives, this review will explore the following research Table 1 presents key bibliometric information describing
questions: the dataset of 447 documents on exercise interventions

Volume 11 Issue 1 (2025) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.3282