• The jury has recognized the project for promoting the autonomy, well-being, and health of the elderly population with a multicomponent approach.

The program “Promotion of Physical Exercise for the Prevention of Frailty and Falls in Older Adults: VIVIfrail,” developed by the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) and Navarrabiomed, has been awarded the XVI NAOS Strategy Awards (Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity Prevention) by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. These awards aim to promote initiatives that prevent obesity and other non-communicable diseases by promoting healthy eating habits and regular physical activity.

The jury for these awards recognized the UPNA-Navarrabiomed project, coordinated by Professor Mikel Izquierdo Redín, for its objective of “promoting autonomy, well-being, and health of older adults through a multicomponent approach that encompasses physical exercise, nutrition, and medication review by creating synergies between the sports and healthcare and social assistance sectors, working holistically to improve the health status and well-being of our seniors.” The VIVIfrail project award falls under the “healthcare” category.

For the XVI edition of the NAOS Strategy Awards, which are presented by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, a total of 78 applications were received for different categories, out of which 47 were selected.

Promotion of Exercise in Adults Over 70 Years of Age

VIVIfrail is a multicomponent physical exercise program aimed at preventing falls and frailty in adults over 70 years of age. The project has involved the participation of Nicolás Martinez-Velilla (Department of Geriatrics at the University Hospital of Navarra), researchers Fabricio Zambón Ferraresi and Mikel López Sáez de Asteasu (Navarrabiomed-UPNA), and Leocadio Rodríguez-Mañas (Biomedical Research Foundation of Getafe University Hospital and CIBER of Aging and Fragility-ISCIII). VIVIfrail is part of the Health Promotion and Quality of Life Strategy in the European Union and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the Ministry of Health’s strategy for frailty prevention.

To promote the program, the researchers have produced various free materials aimed at healthcare professionals and those in the field of physical activity and sports. These include an educational guide, a mobile application (for smartphones and tablets), and an e-book, all of which are available on the project’s website.

The VIVIfrail project was also selected in 2017 as a “good practice” by a panel of experts from the European Commission and recommended by the World Health Organization as an initiative to improve the functional capacity of older adults.