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The Gerontologist Advance Access originally published online on July 10, 2009
The Gerontologist 2009 49(6):847-855; doi:10.1093/geront/gnp113
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Do Sedentary Older Adults Benefit From Community-Based Exercise? Results From the Active Start Program

Tingjian Yan, PhD1,2, Kathleen H. Wilber, PhD2, Rosa Aguirre, MSG, MHA3 and Laura Trejo, MSG, MPA4

2 Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
3 OASIS Institute, Los Angeles, California
4 City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, Los Angeles, California

1 Address correspondence to Tingjian Yan, PhD, Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, 3715 McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191. E-mail: tingjiay{at}usc.edu


  Abstract

Purpose: This study assessed the effectiveness of Active Start, a community-based behavior change and fitness program, designed to promote physical activity among sedentary community-dwelling older adults. Design and Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used. Data were analyzed using a within-group pretest–post-test design to calculate changes in the intervention group and changes in the waitlist comparison group. Further analyses were conducted after the comparison group completed the intervention. Paired t tests were employed to analyze unadjusted mean changes in physical performance measures from pretest to post-test. Repeated measures analysis of covariance (using SAS Proc Mixed) was then conducted to calculate the adjusted mean change for the intervention group. Results: Significant improvement was found on all performance measures (strength, flexibility, and balance) for the intervention group as a whole. Similar improvements were found among subgroups (Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics). No significant changes were found in the comparison group when they were in the control condition; however, they significantly improved on all measures after completing the intervention. Implications: This study suggests that a community-based physical activity program benefits sedentary, racially, and ethnically diverse older adults by coupling a behavioral change support group and fitness classes.

Keywords: Active Start, Older adults, Physical performance, Race–ethnicity

Received January 14, 2009; Accepted June 15, 2009

Decision Editor: Kathleen Piercy, PhD


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