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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Sports Act. Living
Sec. Physical Activity in the Prevention and Management of Disease
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1505826
This article is part of the Research Topic Optimal Physical Activity across the Lifespan for People of All Abilities View all 8 articles

IMPACT OF TELE-EXERCISE ON QUALITY OF LIFE, PHYSICAL FITNESS, FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND STRENGTH IN DIFFERENT ADULT POPULATIONS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF CLINICAL TRIALS

Provisionally accepted
Nuno Domingos Garrido Nuno Domingos Garrido 1,2*VICTOR MACHADO REIS VICTOR MACHADO REIS 2José Vilaça Alves José Vilaça Alves 2Gabriela Chaves Lucas Gabriela Chaves Lucas 2Ismael Lima Godinho Ismael Lima Godinho 1Rafael Peixoto Rafael Peixoto 1Alberto Fucarino Alberto Fucarino 3Manuela Eliane Anna Cantoia Manuela Eliane Anna Cantoia 3Enzo Iuliano Enzo Iuliano 3Antonio Fabbrizio Antonio Fabbrizio 3Martina Sausa Martina Sausa 3Giovanna Zimatore Giovanna Zimatore 3Carlo Baldari Carlo Baldari 3Filippo Macaluso Filippo Macaluso 4
  • 1 University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
  • 2 Research Centre in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
  • 3 Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, University of eCampus, Novedrate, Lombardy, Italy
  • 4 Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study aimed to review the impact of tele-exercise on different adult populations, comparing synchronous and asynchronous interventions and their effects on outcomes such as quality of life, physical fitness, functional capacity, strength, and pain. Randomised clinical trials and quasiexperimental studies published between 2014 and 2024 were included, totalling 16 studies with 1,416 participants. The interventions varied between synchronous tele-exercise (via videoconference) and asynchronous (via apps and recorded videos). The review followed the PRISMA guidelines, ensuring a systematic approach to study selection, data extraction, and bias assessment. The results indicate that tele-exercise, especially synchronous, has the potential to primarily improve physical fitness, functional capacity, and pain perception, being effective for the elderly and individuals with specific conditions such as multiple sclerosis and obesity. However, the methodological heterogeneity of the studies and the lack of consistent data limit the generalisation of the findings, highlighting the need for more high-quality research. The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024563241).

    Keywords: physical exercise, Elderly, Technology, Health, teleexercise

    Received: 03 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Garrido, REIS, Alves, Lucas, Godinho, Peixoto, Fucarino, Cantoia, Iuliano, Fabbrizio, Sausa, Zimatore, Baldari and Macaluso. 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: Nuno Domingos Garrido, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

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