Improved physical fitness among older female participants in a nationally disseminated, community-based exercise...

Strength training (ST) is an important health behavior for aging women; it helps maintain strength and function and reduces risk for chronic diseases. This study assessed change in physical fitness following participation in a ST program implemented and evaluated by community leaders.

The StrongWomen Program is a nationally disseminated, research-based, community ST program active in 40 states. The Senior Fitness Test is used to assess upper and lower body strength, upper and lower body flexibility, aerobic fitness, and agility; data are collected prior to and following program participation.

For these analyses, five states provided deidentified data for 367 female participants, mean age 63 (±11) years. Attendance in approximately 10 weeks of twice-weekly classes was 69.4%. Paired t tests were used to analyze pre-post change. Significant improvements were observed (p < .01) in all Senior Fitness Test measures. Data are stratified by age-group and compared with published, age-based norms.

This study demonstrates that it is feasible for community leaders to conduct pre-post physical fitness evaluations with participants and that participants experienced improvements across several important domains of physical fitness.