| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|---|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 55, Issue 2 M74-M83, Copyright © 2000 by The Gerontological Society of America
RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL |
AC King, LA Pruitt, W Phillips, R Oka, A Rodenburg and WL Haskell
Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304-1583, USA. [email protected]
BACKGROUND: Although inactivity is an important contributor to impaired functioning and disability with age, little is known concerning how improvements in physical functioning and well-being in older adults vary with the type of physical activity undertaken. METHODS: One hundred three adults age 65 years and older, recruited via population- based methods, were randomized to 12 months of community-based, moderate-intensity endurance and strengthening exercises (Fit & Firm) or stretching and flexibility exercises (Stretch & Flex). A combination of class- and home-based exercise formats was used. Measured and self- rated physical performance along with perceived functioning and well- being were assessed pre- and postintervention. RESULTS: Fit & Firm subjects showed greater 12-month improvements in both measured and self- rated endurance and strength compared to Stretch & Flex subjects. Stretch & Flex subjects reported greater improvements in bodily pain, and Stretch & Flex men evidenced greater improvements in flexibility relative to Fit & Firm subjects. Although overall exercise adherence was high in both exercise conditions (approximately 80%), subjects in both conditions showed better adherence to the home- versus class-based portions of their exercise prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: Community-based programs focusing on moderate-intensity endurance and strengthening exercises or flexibility exercises can be delivered through a combination of formats that result in improvement in important functional and well-being outcomes. This represents one of the first studies to report significant improvements in an important quality of life outcome-bodily pain-with a regular regimen of stretching and flexibility exercises in a community-based sample of older adults.
This article has been cited by other articles: (Search Google Scholar for Other Citing Articles)
|
|
 |
|
  J. E. Morley and J. H. Flaherty Editorial It's Never Too Late: Health Promotion and Illness Prevention in Older Persons J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., June 1, 2002; 57(6): M338 - 342. [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. C. King, K. Baumann, P. O'Sullivan, S. Wilcox, and C. Castro Effects of Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Physiological, Behavioral, and Emotional Responses to Family Caregiving: A Randomized Controlled Trial J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., January 1, 2002; 57(1): M26 - 36. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. J. Keysor and A. M. Jette Have We Oversold the Benefit of Late-Life Exercise? J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., July 1, 2001; 56(7): M412 - 423. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|---|
| All GSA journals | The Gerontologist |
| Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences | |
