Currently submitted to: JMIR Aging
Date Submitted: Apr 9, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 9, 2026 - Jun 4, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Effect of a Health Belief Model–Based Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task Intervention on Functional Improvement in Older Adults with Cognitive Frailty: A Randomized Controlled Trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Cognitive frailty can cause decline in activities of daily living and quality of life in older adults, increasing the risk of malnutrition, hospitalization, depression, disability, dementia, and death. Therefore, early intervention to reverse the cognitive and physical functions of older adults with cognitive frailty has become important and urgent for improved quality of life. At present, only few relevant studies exist, theoretical support is lacking, and quality of intervention is inconsistent.
Objective:
To examine the effect of a Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task intervention based on the Health Belief Model on functional improvement in older adults with cognitive frailty.
Methods:
In this randomized controlled trial, we recruited 90 older adults diagnosed with cognitive frailty from a community in China from January 2024 to October 2024. The participants were randomly divided into two groups: the experimental group received an 8-week Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task based on the Health Belief Model, and the control group received a single exercise intervention. Questionnaires were used to assess the patients' functional status before the intervention, post-intervention, and at the 6-month follow-up.
Results:
After 8 weeks of Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task intervention based on the Health Belief Model, frailty (t=2.750, P=.007), cognitive function (t=-2.577, P=.012), balance function (t=-2.866, P=.005), and self-care ability (t=-2.822, P=.006) were significantly improved among older adults with cognitive frailty. These beneficial effects were sustained at the 6-month follow-up. Further, after 6 months of follow-up, the outcome indicators improved in the intervention group, and the incidence of falls was lower than that in the control group (χ²=4.444, P=.035). However, no significant between-group differences were observed in several domains of quality of life throughout the intervention and follow-up periods.
Conclusions:
The Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task intervention based on the Health Belief Model significantly improved cognitive function, balance function, and self-care ability and reduced the incidence of falls in older adults with cognitive frailty. The study findings suggest that a comprehensive Motor-Cognitive Dual-Task intervention can be an effective rehabilitation strategy for older adults with cognitive frailty.
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