Exercise and Nutritional Strategies to Prevent Sarcopenia-Related Falls in Older Adults: An Umbrella Review

Sarcopenia, defined as the progressive age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and physical function, substantially elevates fall susceptibility among older adults. Meta-analytic evidence demonstrates that sarcopenic individuals face 60–89% higher fall risk compared to non-sarcopenic counterparts. While numerous systematic reviews have independently examined exercise or nutritional interventions for either sarcopenia management or fall prevention, no comprehensive umbrella review has synthesised their combined effectiveness specifically for sarcopenia-related fall prevention in older adults. This umbrella review aims to systematically synthesise and critically appraise the existing body of evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating exercise-based interventions, nutritional supplementation, and combined strategies for reducing fall risk and managing sarcopenia in older adults. The review adheres to the Joanna Briggs Institute umbrella review methodology and is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search of the Scopus database will be conducted to identify eligible systematic reviews published in English with no date restrictions. Methodological quality will be assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews, with only moderate-to-high quality reviews (score ≥7) retained for synthesis. The extent of primary study overlap across included reviews will be quantified using the Corrected Covered Area metric to ensure that synthesised evidence represents independent contributions rather than redundant replication. Evidence certainty for key intervention–outcome pairs will be evaluated using the GRADE framework. Expected outcomes include the identification of intervention categories with the strongest evidence base, quantification of effect sizes for fall reduction and sarcopenia-related parameters, and the formulation of evidence-based integrated recommendations for clinical practice with particular attention to implications for gerontological nursing. Findings are anticipated to inform nurse-led fall prevention programmes and guide interdisciplinary care planning for older adults with or at risk of sarcopenia.