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Meeting physical activity guidelines through community-based group exercise: "better bones and balance"
Adrienne J McNamara1, Michael J Pavol, Katherine B Gunter
1School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA.
Objective:
Community-based exercise programs are popular for achieving physical activity among older adults, but the amount of physical activity obtained through such programs is unknown. This study quantified the bone-loading forces and levels of cardiovascular activity associated with participation in "Better Bones and Balance" (BBB), a community-based fall- and fracture-prevention program for older adults.
Methods:
Thirty-six postmenopausal women age 73.2 ± 7.6 yr engages in BBB participated in this study. Ground-reaction forces (GRFs) associated with BBB exercises were evaluated using a force platform. Session and weekly totals of minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and total time spent above 55% maximum heart rate (HR) were measured using accelerometers and HR monitors, respectively.
Results:
BBB exercises produced mean 1-leg GRFs of 1.4-2.2 units body weight. Weekly BBB participation was associated with 126 ± 31 min of MVPA.
Conclusion:
Activity obtained by BBB participation meets recommended guidelines for skeletal and cardiovascular health.
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