BACKGROUND: The "Sarcopenia and Physical Frailty in Older People: Multicomponent Treatment Strategies" (SPRINTT) project sponsored a multi-center randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the objective to determine the effect of physical activity and nutrition intervention for prevention of mobility disability in community-dwelling frail older Europeans. We describe here the design and feasibility of the SPRINTT nutrition intervention, including techniques used by nutrition interventionists to identify those at risk of malnutrition and to carry out the nutrition intervention. METHODS: SPRINTT RCT recruited older adults (≥ 70 years) from 11 European countries. Eligible participants (n = 1517) had functional limitations measured with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB score 3-9) and low muscle mass as determined by DXA scans, but were able to walk 400 m without assistance within 15 min. Participants were followed up for up to 3 years. The nutrition intervention was carried out mainly by individual nutrition counseling. Nutrition goals included achieving a daily protein intake of 1.0-1.2 g/kg body weight, energy intake of 25-30 kcal/kg of body weight/day, and serum vitamin D concentration ≥ 75 mmol/L. Survey on the method strategies and feasibility of the nutrition intervention was sent to all nutrition interventionists of the 16 SPRINTT study sites. RESULTS: Nutrition interventionists from all study sites responded to the survey. All responders found that the SPRINTT nutrition intervention was feasible for the target population, and it was well received by the majority. The identification of participants at nutritional risk was accomplished by combining information from interviews, questionnaires, clinical and laboratory data. Although the nutrition intervention was mainly carried out using individual nutritional counselling, other assisting methods were used as appropriate. CONCLUSION: The SPRINTT nutrition intervention was feasible and able to adapt flexibly to varying needs of this heterogeneous population. The procedures adopted to identify older adults at risk of malnutrition and to design the appropriate intervention may serve as a model to deliver nutrition intervention for community-dwelling older people with mobility limitations.

Clinicum Department of General Practice Helsinki University Central Hospital University of Helsinki Tukholmankatu 8 B 00014 Helsinki Finland

Department of Geriatrics University Hospital of Limoges Limoges France

Department of Medicine and Surgery University of Parma Parma Italy

Department of Nutrition and Drug Research Institute of Public Health Faculty of Health Science Jagiellonian University Medical College Krakow Poland

Diabetes Frail Medici Medical Practice Luton UK

Faculty of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology Jagiellonian University Medical College Krakow Poland

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A Gemelli IRCCS Rome Italy

Gérontopôle Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse Toulouse France

Institute for Biomedicine of Aging Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen Nürnberg Erlangen Germany

IRCCS INRCA Ancona Italy

Maastricht University Medical Center Maastricht The Netherlands

Medical University of Graz Graz Austria

PRISMATICS Lab Poitiers University Hospital Poitiers France

Silesian Hospital Opava Czech Republic

St Faculty of Medicine Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics Charles University Prague General University Hospital Prague Nové Město Czech Republic

The Icelandic Gerontological Research Center The National University Hospital of Iceland Reykjavik Iceland

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome Italy

University Hospital Getafe Madrid Spain

University Hospital Ramon Y Cajal Madrid Madrid Spain

University of Oulu Center for Life Course Health Research Oulu Finland

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