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The study shows improvements in functional capacity, quality of life and frailty in people aged 80 and older, while also reducing costs associated with hospitalizations, diagnostic tests and medication..
The trial involved 123 elderly people, with an average age of 80 years, recruited from health centers and nursing homes in Zaragoza.. Participants completed three 60-minute sessions per week for 6 months, supervised by specialized instructors..
The research has been led by the GENUD group of the University of Zaragoza, belonging to the CIBER and the IIS Aragón, and published by the journal Experimental Gerontology
A multicomponent exercise program for older adults with reduced functional capacity not only improves their health and independence, but also results in an average saving of over €1.000 per participant in healthcare costs. This reduction is primarily due to fewer medication needs, fewer medical visits, and fewer hospitalizations. The average cost of healthcare services was €3.091 in the trained group compared to €4.135 in the control group.
The research has been led by the GENUD group from the University of Zaragoza belonging to the CIBER area of Pathophysiology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), together with the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón).
This work coincides today with the commemoration of the International Day of Older Persons, Established by the United Nations in 1991 to highlight the challenges of aging and promote the well-being and participation of older persons in society. This is a perfect framework to remember that, in the face of a culture in which medication is prescribed more than physical exercise, scientific evidence shows that these exercise programs are effective, with few side effects, and sustainable for health systems.
The trial involved 123 elderly people, with an average age of 80 years, recruited in health centers and residences in ZaragozaThe volunteers were divided into an intervention group, which followed the training program, and a control group, which maintained their usual care.
For six months, participants carried out three weekly sessions of 60 minutes,supervised by specialized instructors. This training combined aerobic exercises, strength, balance, flexibility and functional training, adapted to the abilities of older adults and aimed at improving activities of daily living. The training effects were measured at three different time points, assessing functional capacity, degree of frailty, and health-related quality of life.
"These types of programs, in addition to being very affordable—their cost was only €164 per person—have a significant impact on the autonomy and well-being of older adults and help reduce healthcare costs resulting from hospitalizations, diagnostic tests, and medication. Prescribing physical exercise should be integrated into senior care." notes José Antonio Casajús, CIBEROBN researcher at the University of Zaragoza and co-author of the study. The results are published in the journal Experimental Gerontology, signing as first author Jorge Subías.
The research team concludes that integrating structured exercise programs into the public health strategy would contribute to addressing the challenge of population aging, reducing both the socioeconomic and associated healthcare burden. The economic analysis showed that investment in these types of programs is highly cost-effective: the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year gained was €6.274, well below the thresholds used by the Spanish National Health System to consider a cost-effective intervention (€27.000-34.000 per quality-adjusted life year gained).
Research staff from the CIBER Fragility and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES) area, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, as well as from the University of Extremadura, the University of California, San Diego, and other collaborating entities, also participated in the study.
Reference
Subías-Perié J, Navarrete-Villanueva D, Fernández-García AI, Moradell A, Alcalá-Nalvaiz JT, Groessl EJ, Ara I, Vila-Maldonado S, Pérez-Gómez J, Gonzalez-Gross M, Gómez-Cabello A, Vicente-Rodríguez G, Casajús JA. Cost-effectiveness of a multicomponent training program for older adults with decreased functional capacity: An economic evaluation. Exp Gerontol. 2025;112911. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2025.112911
About CIBER
The Biomedical Research Network Consortium (CIBER) is an initiative of the Carlos III Health Institute (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) that brings together Spain's leading research groups in various thematic areas, with the aim of promoting high-quality research in biomedicine and health.
Source: University of Zaragoza/CIBER
