Lessons learned from a combined, personalized lifestyle intervention in hospitalized patients at risk for sarcopenia: a feasibility study

Purpose: To examine the feasibility of a combined, personalized exercise and nutrition intervention in hospitalized patients at risk of sarcopenia.

Methods: The study is part of the FITFOOD randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients were randomized into two groups: receiving a personalized nutrition and exercise intervention, or receiving usual care. The intervention entailed a high-protein diet with daily protein supplementation combined with functional training with strength and aerobic exercises. Feasibility was assessed using quantitative data, such as recruitment rate, and qualitative data retrieved from focus group and individual semi-structured interviews.

Results: In total, 14 out of 115 eligible patients participated. The recruitment rate was 12%, and the dropout rate was 50% (7 out of 14 participants). Patients at risk for sarcopenia found it difficult to be involved in a lifestyle intervention, because they were often preoccupied with their recovery, had little interest in changing their diet or level of exercise, and were often unable to participate fully due to health issues and mobility difficulty.

Conclusions: The evaluated combined, personalized lifestyle intervention had limited feasibility in hospitalized patients at risk for sarcopenia, with low recruitment and high dropout rates. The current lifestyle intervention might be too challenging for this vulnerable population.

Trial registration: The trial associated with this feasibility study was pre-registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under the registration number NCT05413616 on 07 June 2022.