Centre for Policy on Ageing



Exercise - it's never too late — the Strong-for-Life Program
Author(s)	Alan M Jette, Margie Lachman, Marie M Giorgetti
Journal title	American Journal of Public Health, vol 89, no 1, January 1999
Pages	pp 66-71
Keywords	Exercise ; Preventative medicine ; Inactivity ; Physical disabilities ; United States of America.
Annotation	A randomised controlled trial compared the effects of assigning 215 older Americans 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. The training programme consisted of videotaped exercise routines performed with elastic bands of varying thickness. 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 programme achieved statistically significantly 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. There were no adverse health effects. These findings provide evidence that home-based resistance exercise programmes designed for older people with disabilities hold promise as an effective public health strategy. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-000110002 A
Classmark	CEA: LK2: C5: BN: 7T *
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.