A stepped down physical activity support program for military service veterans: The Active Choices pilot study

Area of Science:

• Exercise science
• Public health
• Military health

Background:

• Supervised physical activity (PA) programs are effective for chronic disease management in military service veterans (MSVs).
• MSVs often struggle to sustain PA regimens post-supervision.
• A gap exists in supporting the transition to self-managed PA for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the Active Choices program, a stepped-down intervention.
• To support MSVs transitioning from allied health treatment to self-managed PA.
• To evaluate PA levels, program retention, and healthcare costs.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 34 Australian MSVs completing supervised exercise.
• Participants engaged in a 12-week Active Choices program.
• Accelerometer-assessed PA, retention rates, PA preferences, and healthcare costs were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Moderate-to-vigorous PA increased significantly from baseline and was maintained at 12 and 24 weeks.
• High program retention was observed (86% completion at 12 weeks).
• Water-based group activities were the most popular choices, and allied healthcare costs were reduced.

Conclusions:

• The Active Choices program shows promise in facilitating the transition to self-managed PA for MSVs.
• The program has the potential to improve veteran health outcomes.
• Scalability could lead to significant reductions in ongoing healthcare referral costs.