SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Physiol.
Sec. Exercise Physiology
This article is part of the Research TopicStrategies for Combatting Age-Related Decline through Targeted Exercise ProgramsView all 20 articles
Remote Exercise Snacking and Fall-Related Functional Outcomes in Older Adults: A Systematic Review Including a Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
Simin Zhang1
Mingkuai Wang2Zhenyu Shuai3
Zeping Lv1Chu Wang1Ran Zhang1Tian Yang1
Yubo Wang1,2*Xuemin Zhang1*- 1National rehabilitation aids research center, Beijing, China
- 2Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
- 3Physical Education Department, College of Basic Education, Beijing College of Finance and Commerce, Beijing, China
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Background: Falls are a leading cause of injury and death among older adults, yet many encounter barriers to engaging in conventional exercise programs. Remote exercise snacking refers to however, its effectiveness remains inconclusive. This study systematically evaluates the impact of remote exercise snacking on lower-limb muscle performance, balance ability, as well as its acceptability and feasibility in older adults. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in six databases (CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and FMRS) from inception to May, 2025. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment following PRISMA guidelines. Results: Four publications comprising ten studies (n = 313) were included. Remote exercise snacking significantly improved lower-limb muscle strength (SMDpooled = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.06–0.52, p = 0.01) and endurance (SMDpooled = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.01–0.46, p = 0.04), but showed no significant effect on balance (SMDpooled = 0.04, 95% CI: -0.14–0.23, p = 0.65). Greater strength improvements were observed in interventions lasting six weeks or longer and those incorporating progression strategies. Adherence exceeded 80% in most studies, particularly when video-based guidance was provided. Conclusions: Remote exercise snacking appears effective in improving lower-limb muscle performance but shows limited impact on balance among healthy older adults. Intervention duration and the inclusion of progression are key determinants of efficacy. The delivery mode (e.g., written materials, video, or app-based platforms) and exercise type (e.g., bodyweight, Tai Chi, or combined formats) may influence the acceptability and feasibility of implementation.The main findings are summarized in a graphical abstract.
Keywords: exercise snack1, Fall-Related5, meta-analysis4, Older Adults2, remote3
Received: 20 Sep 2025; Accepted: 07 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zhang, Wang, Shuai, Lv, Wang, Zhang, Yang, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yubo Wang
Xuemin Zhang
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