Research Trends in Exercise Interventions for Functional Health in Older Adults: A Bibliometric Analysis (2000–2025)

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Although physical activity and exercise are important for improving functional decline in older adults, the research focuses and trends in this field remain unclear. This study aimed to identify research trends and characteristics in this field and to provide guidance for research and practice. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data retrieved from Web of Science. A predefined search strategy was applied to identify relevant publications between 2000 and 2025. Data were analyzed and visualized using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. Results: A total of 5705 publications were included for the bibliometric analysis. The number of papers published in this field had increased over the past 26 years, with an average of over 400 papers published annually since 2021. The United States had the most published papers, at 2113. China was second, with 941. The focuses of keywords shifted from “disability” prior to 2016 to “mobility”, “quality of life”, “balance”, “walking”, “activities of daily living”, “muscle strength”, “falls” and “executive function” between 2017 and 2019, and finally to “cognitive impairment”, “sarcopenia” and “frailty” since 2020. The keywords with the citation bursts from 2000 to 2010 were “disability”, “risk factors” and “quality of life”; those from 2010 to 2020 were “skeletal muscle”, “community”, “lower-limb function”, “intensity”, “predictors”, “body composition”, “obesity”, “gait”, “blood pressure”, “aerobic exercise”, “balance” and “executive function”; and those after 2020 were “cognitive impairment”, “tai chi”, “management”, “instrumental activity”, “scale”, “muscle mass” and “healthy ageing”. Conclusions: Exercise intervention for functional health in older adults remains a hot topic in research. Research institutions and teams in this field are diverse, with the United States and China emerging as the leading countries. Specific aspects of physical function performance related to disability and quality of life—including cognitive and executive functions—and the corresponding exercise interventions are the focuses of current research.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Healthcare, 2026 · DOI ↗