Attendance patterns of older adults in a health promotion program

A group of 224 participants in a health promotion program for older adults had complete baseline data, including demographic information, self-perceived mental and physical health ratings, and measures of socialization and health limitations. Participants were offered exercise sessions 3 times a week, weekly health education classes, and a weekly stress management group. Their attendance at these classes varied from no classes to approximately 750 classes. Initially, participants were divided into the following 5 subgroups: 90 with virtually no attendance, and approximately 30 in each of 4 quartiles of class attendance. The group with the lowest attendance (first quartile) was found to be statistically like the group whose participants never attended any classes; these groups were combined. The Kruskal-Wallis One-Way Analysis of Variance was used to test for significant differences among the four groups on the variables of interest. In a comparison of the four groups from lowest to highest attendance, those participants with lowest attendance had lower incomes (P < .05), tended to live alone (P < .01), and were less likely to be able to climb two flights of stairs or walk a half-mile (P < .01) than those in greater attendance groups. Their socialization behaviors were poorer (P < .01), and their health often limited their activities (P < .05).