Comparing Class-Based and Home-Based Exercise for Older Adults With Chronic Health Conditions: 12-Month Follow-Up of...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology and Public Health
• Exercise Science and Kinesiology

Background:

• Maintaining physical activity (PA) and associated health benefits in older adults is crucial for healthy aging.
• Class-based (CB) and home-based (HB) interventions offer different modalities for promoting PA, with varying adherence and effectiveness potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the long-term maintenance of physical activity and health outcomes between class-based and home-based interventions in adults aged 50 and older.
• To evaluate the sustainability of health gains achieved during an intensive 3-month intervention phase over a subsequent 9-month follow-up period.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 172 adults (≥50 years) allocated to either CB or HB PA intervention.
• Biometric (BMI, WC, BP), functional (6-min walk, physical function, senior fitness test), and self-reported PA/health measures collected at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months.
• Generalized estimating equations used for outcome analysis to account for repeated measures.

Main Results:

• While most health improvements peaked at 3-6 months and slightly declined, overall gains in BMI, WC, cardiovascular endurance, and functional fitness were maintained throughout the 12-month study.
• No significant differences in overall health maintenance were observed between the CB and HB groups.
• The CB group demonstrated statistically significant superior improvements in specific functional fitness components, including lower body strength/endurance, lower body flexibility, and dynamic agility compared to the HB group.

Conclusions:

• Both class-based and home-based physical activity interventions are effective in promoting and maintaining health benefits in older adults.
• While overall outcomes were comparable, the class-based approach showed advantages in specific functional improvements, suggesting tailored program selection may be beneficial.
• Factors such as participant availability, preferences, and program cost should be considered when choosing between class-based and home-based physical activity interventions.