Posted 07/26/2006

USC public health researcher finds community programs key to physical activity

Physical activity programs first developed in research settings can be duplicated successfully in community programs for middle-age and senior adults.

Sara Wilcox, an exercise science researcher at the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health, has found that two programs -- Active Living Every Day and Active Choices -- are effective when offered through community organizations that reach adults from a variety of racial, economic and geographic backgrounds.

The programs are part of Active for Life®, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

Tested in 10 states, the physical activity programs helped participants who were either sedentary or had little physical activity in their lives become more active. The results are published in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

"Our findings are important because, increasingly, researchers are being asked to document the public health reach of effective programs and to put our research into practice," said Wilcox, the paper’s lead author.

"These programs show that middle-age and older adults can increase their physical activity, which is critical to health and independence in later life," she said. "Community-based programs are especially important because they reach diverse populations and provide physical activity in an environment that often is fun and social. As a result, we are seeing impressive increases in physical activity among program participants."

The researchers found that moderate- to-vigorous physical activity among participants increased by about two hours per week and total physical activity increased by more than three and a half hours per week.

Program participants also reported a greater satisfaction with body function, which is vital to older adults because of their increased risk of losing independence.

Researchers evaluated data from 838 adults who participated in the first year of the Active for Life® program. Participants were targeted to broadly represent the age 50-and-older population in the United States who are at risk because of physical activity.

Those selected tended to have chronic health conditions and were likely to be overweight or obese. In more typical, controlled research intervention programs, participants have tended to be primarily white and more highly educated, with fewer chronic health conditions than people in the same age.

"Understanding how to better deliver physical activity programs is important because about two-thirds of older Americans are not getting enough physical activity, which puts them at increased risk of chronic illness, disability, and loss of independence because they are sedentary," said Terry Bazzarre, senior program officer at the RWJF and the study’s co-author.

“In fact, many of the symptoms of deterioration that come with aging are a matter of mindset and environment -- not genetics,” said Marcia Ory, Active for Life® national program director and a co-author of the study.

“People who are physically active generally eat a healthy diet, avoid tobacco products, practice other healthy behaviors, and live in activity-friendly environments, reduce their risk of chronic diseases and have half the rate of disability of those who do not,” she said.

For those concerned about rising healthcare costs, Ory added that preventing health problems is one of the few known ways to stem rising healthcare costs.

"We know that the benefits of regular physical activity are considerable. Physical activity helps to control weight; contributes to healthy bones, muscles, and joints; reduces falls among the elderly; decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression; and can lessen the need for hospitalizations, physician visits and medications," she said.

Active for Life® will be a useful model on how to implement research-based programs at the community level, Wilcox commented.  "We also will gain insights into effective adaptation and the sustainability of such programs."

Active for Life is headquartered at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. The project is being evaluated and analyzed by researchers from USC’s Arnold School of Public Health.

For more information: 

• Link to Wilcox paper in American Journal of Public Health
• Active for Life® Home Page
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation