Impact of a Community-Based Frailty Intervention Among Middle-Aged and Older Prefrail and Frail Homeless Women: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Interventions are needed to address frailty and other behaviors (e.g., drug and alcohol use) among prefrail and frail homeless women (P/FHW). The purpose of this pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to compare the efficacy of a Frailty Intervention (FI) versus a Health Promotion (HP) program among P/FHW (N = 32). Structured instruments assessed sociodemographics, individual, situational, health-related, and behavioral factors. While program differences were not statistically significant with the main outcome variables, medium-to-large effect sizes were found in favor of the HP program as it relates to physical and overall frailty, as well as, any drug use, alcohol use, and drug dependency. Based on these findings, it is critical to strengthen the HP program to optimize all domains of frailty (e.g., physical, psychological, and social) and substance use for P/FHW.