Stand When You Can: Feasibility of a Multilevel, Multisite Sedentary Behavior Intervention in Assisted-Living...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Prolonged sedentary time presents significant health risks for older adults.
• Assisted living residents exhibit higher sedentary behavior levels compared to independent peers.
• The
• Stand When You Can
• intervention aimed to decrease sedentary behavior in assisted living settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the
• Stand When You Can
• intervention in assisted living facilities.
• To determine if the intervention could be implemented without additional staff or structured programming.

Main Methods:

• Five assisted-living residences participated in a 12-week trial of the
• Stand When You Can
• toolkit.
• Feasibility was evaluated through recruitment, participant characteristics, and pre-post outcome assessments.
• Intervention fidelity was assessed via observations and interviews.

Main Results:

• Sixty-eight older adults and staff ambassadors participated.
• Only one site achieved good intervention fidelity.
• Participant attrition was high, with over 50% not completing follow-up.

Conclusions:

• The
• Stand When You Can
• intervention may not be feasible for most assisted-living residences without dedicated staff.
• Assisted-living facilities need to invest in staff to promote movement and enhance resident quality of life.