JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Sarcopenia with loss of muscle mass, loss of strength and increasing frailty is common in elderly adults and is often the result of underlying diseases such as advanced stages of heart failure (HF). Protein intake is crucial for maintaining muscle mass and strength. However, older adults typically eat less protein compared to younger adults. It has recently shown that the time of the first refrigerator opening in the morning indicated by a door sensor at the refrigerator may correlate with frailty in elderly single living persons.

Objective:

The aim of this study is to measure whether the time of the first refrigerator opening in the morning is a potential indicator for protein intake in elderly patients after hospitalization for heart failure decompensation over a period of six month.

Methods:

This is a sub study of a prospective interventional cohort study which aims to identify changes in ambient sensors system derived digital biomarkers with a high potential for early detection of HF decompensation. In this sub study frequency and timing of participants opening the refrigerator door at their homes will be measured. To identify associations between protein intake and refrigerator openings, a dietary assessment will be carried out by 24-hour diet recalls at three different time points: at 1, 3 and 6 months after hospital discharge. All 24-h diet recalls will be completed on weekdays by trained dietitians in face-to-face interviews. The primary outcome of this study will be the correlation between protein intake and first refrigerator door openings after midnight in minutes over 1, 3 and 6 months.

Results:

The study is in the collection phase. Study recruitment started in February 2024. Data analysis is scheduled to start after all data are collected. As of manuscript submission, 4 patients have been recruited. Results are expected to be published by the end of 2025.

Conclusions:

Considering that protein-rich foods are mostly stored in the refrigerator, the relationship between frailty and use of the refrigerator could be an important issue for nutritional assessment in terms of protein intake. Furthermore, sarcopenia / frailty could also be related to protein distribution over meals. The present study will provide insight whether the use of the refrigerator openings would allow easy monitoring as indicators of increased frailty and sarcopenia risk. Interventions could be initiated at an early stage and thus reduce the risk of these diseases. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06126848; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06126848 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/55953