No doubt about it. Being physically active yields all kinds of health benefits for people of all ages. Yet, people become less active as they get older. Thus, at a time in life when many people are at greatest risk of disabling or even life-shortening conditions, they forego one of the least expensive, most accessible ways to reduce health risks. How can we get older people moving more?
Of course, there is not an easy answer. But one way may be to match people to programs that are more likely to help them change their habits. A recent study identified predictors of increased physical activity older adults in a large, diverse group of older adults.
In this study, two community-based physical activity programs for people 50 years and older were tested. One program was a telephone-based intervention called Active Choices and the other a group-based program called Active Living Every Day. For the Active Choices program, people who were on the younger end of the “older adult” age spectrum, those who had more support from friends and family at the beginning of the study, and those who were a more physically active at the start increased their physical activity levels more than others. Similarly, in the Active Living Every Day Program, younger and less active participants at baseline increased their physical activity more than older and more active participants. In addition, women, those who identified themselves as Latino/Hispanic, people who were overweight or obese, and those with more health conditions increased their exercise more than men, people of other racial/ethnic categories, and normal weight and healthier participants.
The authors concluded, “These results are encouraging and suggest that when the two behaviorally oriented physical activity programs were implemented in real-world settings, most midlife and older adults responded favorably to both, and no groups were adversely affected.”
So, to answer our original question, it appears that there are effective programs – Active Choices and Active Living Every Day – that may help older people, especially “younger” older adults and those who are less active to start with, move more.
If you have followed this blog, you know that we have referred to the Active Living Every Day program before. This program is based on research conducted at The Cooper Institute. The Stand Up & Eat web site’s Get Active Program uses many of the strategies used by the ALED program. To sign up, click here to go to the Stand Up & Eat home page and look for the “Get Active” box on the right side of the page, about halfway down.
Wilcox S et al. Predictors of increased physical activity in the Active for Life Program. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2009;6(1). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jan/07_0244.htm
