OBJECTIVE: To discuss the effects of elastic band exercise on the frailty states in pre-frail elderly people. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial. Trial registration number is ChiCTR-IOC-17012579. Seventy pre-frail elderly people were randomly divided into elastic band group (n = 35) and control group (n = 35). Elastic band exercise was applied to elastic band group, 45 to 60 min per time for 8 weeks by 3 days a week; no exercise was applied to the control group. The frailty states, grip strength (female/male), walking speed, and physical activity were measured by the Fried frailty phenotype at pre-intervention, 4, and 8 weeks after intervention to assess the effects of exercise. RESULTS: The elastic band group showed significant improvements in the frailty states, grip strength (female) and walking speed both after 4-week and 8-week intervention (p < 0.001), and significant improvements in grip strength (male) and physical activity after 8-week intervention (p < 0.05). Within-group analysis (pre-intervention versus after 4-week, after 4-week versus after 8-week, pre-intervention versus after 8-week) showed significant improvements (p < 0.001) in grip strength (female/male) and walking speed in the elastic band group over time, while no significant differences in the control group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Elastic band exercise can improve frailty states in pre-frail elderly people, make them broke away from pre-frailty and restore them to non-frailty through improving the grip strength, walking speed and physical activity, and the effects after 8 weeks are better than those after 4 weeks.

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