Exercise - It's never too late: The strong-for-life program

A.M. Jette, M. Lachman, M.M. Giorgetti, S.F. Assmann, B.A. Harris, C. Levenson, M. Wernick and D. Krebs

American Journal of Public Health, 1999, vol. 89, issue 1, 66-72

Abstract: Objectives. This investigation determined whether an in-home resistance training program achieved health benefits in older adults with disabilities. Methods. A randomized controlled trial compared the effects of assigning 215 older persons to either a home-based resistance exercise training group or a waiting list control group. Assessments were conducted at baseline and at 3 and 6 months following randomization. The program consisted of videotaped exercise routines performed with elastic bands of varying thickness. Results. High rates of exercise adherence were achieved, with 89% of the recommended exercise sessions performed over 6 months. Relative to controls, subjects who participated in the program achieved statistically significant lower extremity strength improvements of 6% to 12%, a 20% improvement in tandem gait, and a 15% to 18% reduction in physical and overall disability at the 6- month follow-up. No adverse health effects were encountered. Conclusions. These findings provide important evidence that home based resistance exercise programs designed for older persons with disabilities hold promise as an effective public health strategy.

Date: 1999
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1999:89:1:66-72_2

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().