Community programs get older people moving

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Programs that increase older adults' exercise levels in the research setting can work in the real world as well, according to a new study.

Researchers found that two exercise programs that have proved effective in studies also worked when offered at the local YMCA or other community centers. Unlike traditional exercise classes, the programs taught older adults ways to change their behavior and fit physical activity into their daily lives.

Overall, the study found, participants in each program bumped up their exercise levels, shed a few pounds and reported less stress and depression.

The findings are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Many studies have examined ways to ramp up older adults' exercise levels, but programs that work in a research setting do not necessarily translate to the real world.

In the new study, researchers led by Dr. Sara Wilcox of the University of South Carolina in Columbia looked at whether two such programs are effective when offered by community centers, local health departments and health insurance plans.

The study included 838 men and women age 50 and older who participated in one of the two interventions. One was a telephone-based program developed by Stanford University, in which counselors gave advice on breaking down barriers to exercise and safely fitting activity into daily life. The second program, developed by the Cooper Institute in Dallas, was similar but used group meetings instead of phone calls.

Through surveys before and after the programs, Wilcox and her colleagues found that participants increased their amount of moderate and vigorous exercise by more than 2 hours per week, on average.

At the same time, their depression and stress levels dipped, as did the groups' average weight.

The findings, according to the researchers, show that exercise-promoting programs can be successfully moved from the lab to real life.

"All too often," they note, "effective behavioral programs do not impact communities because they are never translated broadly."

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, July 2006.