Effect of telling older adults their predictive physical fitness age on physical activity: A quasi‐experimental study

Aging, in conjunction with decreasing physical activity, is associated with a range of health problems. Simple, low-maintenance, population-based means of promoting activity to counteract the age-associated decline are required. We therefore assessed the effect of pedometry and buddy support to increase physical activity. We undertook a clustered randomized trial (HKCTR-346) of 24 community centers involving 399 older Chinese participants (≥ 60 yr). Centers were randomly allocated to 1) pedometry and buddy, 2) pedometry and no buddy, 3) no pedometry and buddy, and 4) no pedometry and no buddy with a 2 × 2 factorial design. The trial simultaneously tested the individual and combined effects of the interventions. The intervention groups also received monthly organized group activities to provide encouragement and support. Outcome measures were assessed at 6 and 12 months, including physical fitness and activity and cardiovascular disease risk factors (anthropometry and blood pressure). From the 24 centers, 356 volunteers (89.2%) completed the study. Those receiving the interventions had higher mean physical activity levels at 12 months of 1820 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1360-2290) and 1260 (95% CI = 780-1740) MET·min·wk(-1), respectively relative to the decrease in the control groups. The buddy peer support intervention significantly improved mean aerobic fitness (12% [95% CI = 4%-21%]) and reduced both body fat (-0.6% [95% CI = -1.1% to 0.0%]) and time to complete the 2.5-m get-up-and-go test (-0.27 [95% CI = -0.53 to -0.01] s). No other improvements in the cardiovascular disease risk factors were observed. The combination of motivational tools was no better than the individual interventions. Both motivational interventions increased physical activity levels, and the buddy style improved fitness. These tools could be useful adjuncts in the prevention of obesity and age-related complications.

BackgroundThe biological risk factors of inactivity and poor cardiorespiratory fitness are well established. However, risk groups are hard to reach and they may have misperceptions of their need for change. This study explored self-ratings of physical fitness (PF) and the relationship between objectively estimated physical fitness (PFI) and psychosocial factors among Finnish men of working-age.MethodsCross-sectional data on 899 Finnish men (aged 18–64) were collected in 2011. Health- related physical fitness was evaluated with a physical fitness index calculated from the results of selected fitness tests. The men were subsequently classified into three groups: low, moderate and high PFI. Psychosocial factors and self-rated fitness were elicited in the questionnaire. The data were analysed with crosstabulations, chi square-test and logistic regression analysis.ResultsOne-fifth of the participants had low PFI. Forty-five per cent of the low-fit middle-aged (35–49 years) men self-reported poor PF, while 80 per cent of the younger (18–34 years) low-fit men self-reported moderate or good PF. The health benefits and recommended dose of physical activity were well known in all the PFI categories. The low-fit men were health conscious, but lacked adequate exercise skills, self-efficacy and social support. However, logistic regressions revealed that, in the younger men, likelihood of better knowledge was not related to higher PFI. Among the 50-to-64-year-old men, high PFI was not associated with a higher social support.ConclusionsPoor exercise skills, self-efficacy and social support were related to low PFI. Physical activity promotion for low-fit men should take into account age differences in the relationship between psychosocial factors and physical fitness. Thus, new and effective ways to establish social support and motivation for physical activity among low-fit men in all working-age groups are needed. Further research is also warranted on whether estimation of PFI could be used as a practical health counselling tool.

A population of healthy middle-aged (n = 69) and elderly men (n = 12), who participated in a health promotion program, was studied to determine whether really physically fit individuals are in good biological condition, and also whether improvement of physical fitness in the middle-aged and the elderly reduces their "rate of aging". Biological and physical fitness ages of the individuals studied were estimated from the data for 18 physiological function tests and 5 physical fitness tests, respectively, by a principal component model. The correlation coefficient between the estimated biological and physical fitness ages was 0.72 (p less than 0.01). Detailed analyses of the relationship between the estimated biological and physical fitness ages revealed that those who manifested a higher ("older") physical fitness age did not necessarily have a higher biological age, but those who manifested a lower ("younger") physical fitness age were also found to have a lower biological age. These results suggested that there were considerable individual variations in the relationship between biological condition and physical fitness among individuals with an old physical fitness age, but those who were in a state of high physical fitness maintained a relatively good biological condition. The data regarding the elderly men who had maintained a regular exercise program indicated that their estimated biological ages were considerably younger than the expected values. This might suggest that in older individuals regular physical activity may provide physiological improvements which in turn might reduce "the rate of aging".

BackgroundAs life improves and sedentary time increases, young children's physical fitness gradually declines.MethodsMulti-stage stratified whole cluster sampling was utilized to sample 5584 preschoolers. Young infants' morphology, function, and quality were revealed using cluster and factor analysis.ResultsThe cluster analysis separated 3–6-year-olds into two genders: 1,551 men in group A "high physical fitness" 1,499 men in group B "low physical fitness"; 1,213 women in group A and 1,321 women in group B. Young children's fitness was measured by standing long jump(1.00), weight(1.00), and height(1.00). A cluster analysis of 3–4-year-olds classified them into three groups: 272 “muscular strength,” 75 “average physical fitness,” and 250 “low agility.” Young children's health depends on weight (1.00), height (0.57), and chest circumference (0.54). A cluster analysis of the 4–5-year-olds classified them into two groups: 1070 “balance” and 806 “muscular strength.” Young children’s health depends on weight (1.00), height (0.74), and chest circumference (0.71). A cluster analysis of the 5–6-year-olds divided them into three groups: 1762 “high physical fitness,” 384 “obese,” and 105 “low physical fitness.” Young children’s physical health depends on BMI (1.00), weight (1.00), and chest circumference (1.00). Factor analysis demonstrated that muscle strength, body shape, cardiovascular variables, and physical fitness composite components affected young children's health.ConclusionWomen should focus on motor function and strength, while men on flexibility. Male group B “low physical fitness” should focus on strength, motor function, and balance, whereas male group A “high physical fitness” should focus on flexibility. Then, female group A “high physical fitness” should emphasize variety.2) For 3–4-year-olds, group A “muscular strength” should focus on flexibility, and group C “low agility” on motor function. 3) For 4–5-year-olds, group A “balanced” should focus on strength and motor function; 4) For 5–6-year-olds, group B “obese” should emphasize weight loss, and group C “low fitness” should emphasize strength, motor function, and flexibility; 5) Young children’s physical fitness depends on muscle strength, body shape, cardiovascular factors, and physical fitness composite.

BackgroundShort telomere length (TL) is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). However, the relationship between physical fitness and TL has not been explored in these patients.MethodsIn a cross sectional study of 944 outpatients with stable CHD, we performed exercise treadmill testing, assessed self-reported physical activity, and measured leukocyte TL using a quantitative PCR assay. We used generalized linear models to calculate mean TL (T/S ratio), and logistic regression models to compare the proportion of patients with short TL (defined as the lowest quartile), among participants with low, medium and high physical fitness, based on metabolic equivalent tasks achieved (METs).Results229 participants had low physical fitness (<5 METS), 334 had moderate physical fitness (5–7 METS), and 381 had high physical fitness (>7 METS). Mean ± T/S ratio ranged from 0.86±0.21 (5349±3781 base pairs) in those with low physical fitness to 0.95±0.23 (5566±3829 base pairs) in those with high physical fitness (p<.001). This association remained strong after adjustment for numerous patient characteristics, including measures of cardiac disease severity and physical inactivity (p = 0.005). Compared with participants with high physical fitness, those with low physical fitness had 2-fold greater odds of having TL in the lowest quartile (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.60–3.55; p<.001). This association was similar after multivariable adjustment (OR 1.94, 95%CI, 1.18–3.20; p = 0.009). Self-reported physical inactivity was associated with shorter TL in unadjusted analyses, but not after multivariable adjustment.ConclusionsWe found that worse objectively-assessed physical fitness is associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length in patients with CHD. The clinical implications of this association deserve further study.

Objective The present study aimed to examine the relationship between physical fitness and academic performance, after controlling for potential confounds. Participants The sample comprised 2,324 college students representing three Chinese universities. Methods Physical fitness was measured using the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard; academic performance (ie, Grade Point Average) and lifestyle behaviors were assessed using questionnaires. Academic performance and overall physical fitness were used to divide participants into three categories: low, moderate, and high. Results Several physical fitness indicators systematically differed across the three academic performance categories. Additionally, overall physical fitness was positively associated with academic performance, even after controlling for the effects of lifestyle behaviors; those who belonged to the high overall physical fitness group had lower odds ratios of low academic performance than those belonging to the low overall physical fitness group. Conclusions Poor academic performance was related to low overall physical fitness . The probability of having poor academic performance was significantly lower among students with high physical fitness than those with low physical fitness.

To better determine the rate of aging and offer tailored intervention or medical care, it is essential to create a comprehensive indicator that can evaluate physical fitness in middle‐aged and older people. This study aimed to create an indicator of physical fitness age (PFA) that can be used to comprehensively evaluate physical performance and to confirm its validity. There were 5,368 participants in the constructing PFA group and 1,846 participants in the validating PFA group (aged ≥40 for all). We measure five physical fitness items to develop PFA by using principal component analysis. To assess the validity of PFA, we compared chronological age (CA) and PFA in participants with and without possible sarcopenia and used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to assess the discriminating power of the CA and PFA in identifying possible sarcopenia. We established an indicator of PFA which was expressed as PFA = 24.857 − 0.034 × peak expiratory flow − 0.609 × handgrip strength + 9.238 × walking speed + 1.238 × 5‐time chair stand test + 0.742 × CA for men, and PFA = 22.171 − 0.051 × peak expiratory flow − 0.735 × handgrip strength + 7.603 × walking speed + 1.108 × 5‐time chair stand test + 0.753 × CA for women. The validation test demonstrated that PFA was statistically lower than CA in participants without possible sarcopenia, while the PFA was significantly greater than CA in those with possible sarcopenia. ROC analysis showed that PFA had a larger area under the curve than CA. The findings suggest that PFA is a valid predictor of physical performance in Chinese middle‐aged and older adults, which can discriminate persons of the same CA but different levels of physical performance.

ObjectivesSocial class and physical work demands are strongly correlated and by implication much more prevalent among manual workers, that is, lower social classes. To challenge physical work demands as a...

The current prevalence and the predicted increase of older population is a key health challenge in our society. Regular physical activity provides significant health benefits and physical fitness is a stronger predictor of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality than other risk factors. On the contrary, sedentary behaviour has a negative impact on health. Nutrient status affects risk-factor levels during life and may have an even greater impact in older adults. Furthermore, biomarkers are a useful tool to measure the effect of exercise such as it is essential to get deeper into the association between biomarkers and physical fitness level, and others health determinants. However, there are an increase of non-communicable diseases being a difficult task to provide effective policies and interventions. An inadequate classification of people according to physical activity and sedentary behaviours recommendations could be one the causes. The main purposes of the thesis were (1) to examine the associations between physical fitness, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and several environmental and biochemical variables in Spanish older adults. These variables include, among others, nutritional status, health-related quality of life, vitamins and oxidative stress parameters; (2) In order to clarify the difficulty to categorize people and provide more reliable data, four different classifications have been suggested in the current thesis: (i) Combining physical activity and sedentary behaviours, (ii) According to physical fitness, (iii) Considering reference ranges from each blood marker, (iv) Combining physical fitness and blood markers, called Total Index. The current thesis is based on a cross-sectional multicentre study collecting data on 433 Spanish non-institutionalized older adults (57% females, aged over 55 yr) from Madrid and Balearic Islands regions. Each classification was divided into different groups as present below: - Physical activity and sedentary behaviour classification: inactive and high sedentarism, inactive and low sedentarism, active and high sedentarism and, active and low sedentarism according to validated questionnaires. - Physical fitness classification: low, medium and high physical fitness level according to four validate physical fitness test. - Blood markers: each biomarker was categorized as being within reference range and out of the reference range considering as reference range those established by laboratories. - Total index (physical fitness &amp; blood markers classifications): Scores of each biomarker were added together and the total score was divided into tertiles. After that, the three levels of physical fitness and three groups of biomarkers were combined together and a total index with nine different subgroups was created. The main outcomes of this thesis are: a) Males spent more time doing regular physical activity but less time walking and working at home than females. b) The proposed classification combining physical activity and sedentary behaviour is valid for males as it discriminates according to their physical fitness. c) Active and low sedentary participants obtained better results in the physical fitness tests in males and females. d) Participants in the active and low sedentary behaviour group consumed higher amounts of water and other beverages than the others groups; however, different patterns were observed according to their physical fitness level. e) Physical fitness level is related to nutrient intake, presenting greater relationships with micronutrient intake than macronutrient intake. f) There was a high inadequate intake of potassium, vitamin D and vitamin E below requirements, which was present in almost 85% of older adults, independently of their physical fitness level. g) Sex was identified as the main factor that had an effect on oxidative stress parameters. h) High lipid peroxidation measured through malondialdehyde was found in the high physical fitness group in females, whereas higher antioxidant enzyme activity measured by superoxide dismutase was observed in the high physical fitness group in males. i) There was a considerable percentage of participants who showed values out of reference range for vitamin 25(OH)D (68%) and total cholesterol (59 %), independently of physical fitness. j) More abnormal values were observed for total homocysteine, creatinine, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in the low physical fitness group; meanwhile, less abnormal values were found for vitamin B12 and triglycerides in the low physical fitness group. k) Physical fitness index and blood index were independent between them; thus, each health marker should be measured in an independent way. l) Total index (physical fitness &amp; blood markers) was associated with socioeconomic status, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, abdominal obesity and health-related quality of life. (m) In the model, the main predictor of the total index was education. Likewise, participants with primary school education, in the active and low sedentary group, also were categorized with less abdominal obesity. The holistic and novel approach can contribute to establish public health policies and new interventions in older adults. ----------RESUMEN---------- La población de edad avanzada supone un desafío clave de salud dada la prevalencia actual y el aumento previsto de la misma. La práctica de actividad física regular proporciona beneficios significativos para la salud, siendo el fitness un fuerte predictor cardiovascular y de todas las causas de mortalidad en comparación con otros factores de riesgo. Por el contrario, el comportamiento sedentario tiene un impacto negativo sobre la salud. La nutrición influye sobre los factores de riesgo durante toda la vida, provocando un mayor impacto en los adultos. Además, los biomarcadores son una herramienta útil para medir el efecto del ejercicio siendo esencial profundizar en la asociación entre biomarcadores y el nivel de fitness junto con otros factores determinantes de salud. Sin embargo, hay un aumento de las enfermedades no trasmisibles siendo una tarea difícil proporcionar políticas e intervenciones eficaces. La inadecuada clasificación de las personas según las recomendaciones de actividad física y sedentarismo podría ser una de las causas. Los principales objetivos de esta tesis fueron (1) examinar las asociaciones entre el fitness, la actividad física, el comportamiento sedentario, y diversas variables ambientales y bioquímicas en adultos mayores españoles. Estas variables incluyen estado nutricional, calidad de vida relacionada con la salud, vitaminas y parámetros de estrés oxidativo, entre otros; (2) Con el fin de aclarar la dificultad de clasificar a las personas y proporcionar datos más fiables, se han propuesto cuatro clasificaciones diferentes en la presente tesis: (i) De acuerdo al nivel de actividad física y el tiempo sedentario, (ii) De acuerdo al nivel de fitness, (iii) Considerando los rangos de referencia de cada marcador de sanguíneo, (iv) combinando la clasificación de fitness y la clasificación de los marcadores sanguíneos, titulado Índice Total. La presente memoria de Tesis Doctoral está basada en un estudio multicéntrico transversal en el que se han analizado un total de 433 adultos españoles no institucionalizados mayores de 55 años (57% mujeres), procedentes de las Comunidades de Madrid e Islas Baleares. Cada clasificación se dividió en los siguientes grupos: - Clasificación de actividad física y sedentarismo: inactivo y alto sedentarismo, inactivo y bajo sedentarismo, activo y alto sedentarismo y, activo y bajo sedentarismo de acuerdo a cuestionarios validados. - Clasificación de fitness: bajo, medio y alto nivel de fitness de acuerdo a cuatro test validados de condición física. - Marcadores sanguíneos: cada biomarcador se categorizó estando dentro del rango de referencia y fuera del rango de referencia considerando los rangos de referencia establecidos por los laboratorios. - Índice Total (clasificación de fitness y marcadores sanguíneos): Cada biomarcador se puntuó y la puntuación total se dividió en terciles. Después de ellos, se combinaron los tres niveles de fitness y tres grupos de biomarcadores creándose un Índice Total con nueve subgrupos diferentes. Los principales resultados de esta tesis son los siguientes: a) Los varones realizaron más actividad física regular pero dedicaron menos tiempo a caminar y a las tareas del hogar que las mujeres. b) La clasificación propuesta, combinando actividad física y comportamiento sedentario es válida en los hombres ya que discrimina de acuerdo a su fitness. c) El grupo de participantes activos y de bajo comportamiento sedentario obtuvo mejores resultados en las pruebas de condición física en ambos sexos. d) Los participantes del grupo activo y bajo comportamiento sedentario bebieron mayores cantidades de agua y otras bebidas; sin embargo, se encontraron diferentes patrones de ingesta de agua y bebidas de acuerdo a su nivel de fitness. e) El nivel de fitness está relacionado con la ingesta de nutrientes, presentando mayores relaciones con la ingesta de micronutrientes que con la ingesta de macronutrientes. f) Más del 85% de los adultos mayores mostró una ingesta inadecuada por debajo de los requerimientos de potasio, vitamina D y vitamina E, independientemente de su nivel de fitness. g) El sexo fue identificado como el principal factor que tiene efecto sobre los parámetros de estrés oxidativo. h) Se observó una mayor peroxidación lipídica medida a través del malondialdehído en el grupo de alto fitness en mujeres, mientras que se mostró una mayor actividad enzimática antioxidante medida por la superóxido dismutasa en el grupo de alto fitness en hombres. i) Un alto porcentaje de participantes mostraron valores sanguíneos fuera de rango, especialmente de la vitamina D (68%) y el colesterol tota

Data about effects of exercise training in adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) are very limited. This study investigated the effect of 2 different frequencies of the same intensity and total training volume of combined exercise training on indices of body composition, physical fitness, and lipid profile in overweight and obese adolescents with ID. A total of 45 overweight and obese adolescents with ID aged 14-22 years with a total IQ 45-70 received combined exercise training 3 times a week (CET3) for 30 sessions (10 weeks; n = 15), twice a week (CET2) for 30 sessions (15 weeks; n = 15), or no training (10 weeks; n = 15). Groups were matched for age, sex, and education form. Before and after the intervention period, indices of body composition, physical fitness and lipid profile have been evaluated. Compared to the control group, CET3 resulted in a significant improvement of physical fitness, obesity indices, and lipid profile of the participants. Comparing CET2 with CET3, no significantly different evolutions were noticed, except for lower limb strength in favor of exercising 3 times a week. In conclusion, exercising 2 times a week, which is more feasible and practical for participants and guidance, has the same health beneficial effects as 3 times per week in overweight and obese adolescents with ID in short-term training.

Improving Knowledge About Mental Illness Through Family-Led Education: The Journey of Hope

Background and objective: Motor performance plays an important role in daily activities for older adults. The purpose of the study was to construct a method for measuring physical fitness age that can be used to assess motor performance in elderly men and to verify its validity. Methods: Four items of physical fitness including grip strength, balancing on one leg with eyes open, 30 s chair stand test and 6 min walk test were selected and measured in a random order. Principal component analysis was employed to build physical fitness age based on motor performance variables from 94 elderly men with a mean age of 71.20 ± 5.05 years. Physical fitness age = 115.516-0.652 × grip strength - 0.142 × balancing on one leg with eyes open - 0.839 × 30 s chair stand - 0.061 × 6 min walk distance + 0.541 × chronological age. Results: Validation test from 13 men with exercise habit and 12 men without exercise habit showed that the physical fitness age in the exercised adults was significantly lower than its chronological age (63.91 ± 5.40 vs. 70.92 ± 4.17, P &lt; 0.001), while no significant difference was observed between physical fitness age and chronological age in the elderly without exercise habits (71.23 ± 7.49 vs. 70.83 ± 5.19, P = 0.646). Conclusion: Physical fitness age is a valid indicator to evaluate and monitor motor performance. Participation in physical exercise may lower the physical fitness age by improving motor performance.

To investigate the impact of physical fitness on the mobilization of CD4+ CD25 - CD39 + and CD4 + CD25 + CD39 + T cells in response to acute exercise. Fifteen high physical fitness (25.3 ± 1.4 years) and 15 low physical fitness (26.1 ± 1.9 years) men performed a single bout of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE, 10 bouts of 60 seconds at 85% HRmax intercepted by 75 seconds of recovery at 50% HRmax). Blood lymphocytes were isolated before, immediately after and 1 hour after exercise for assessment of cell surface expression of CD25, CD39, and CD73 on CD4+ T cells. Effector memory T cells (mTeff) were identified by CD4 + CD25 - CD39 + coexpression, and memory regulatory T cells (mTReg) were defined as CD4 + CD25 + CD39 + T cells. Exercise increased CD4+ and CD4 + CD25 + T cell frequencies immediately after followed by a decrease bellow to baseline values at 1 hour after the bout in both low and high physical fitness groups. At baseline, the proportions of mTeff were higher, while mTreg were lower in low physical fitness individuals. The frequency of mTreg increased immediately after HIIE in both groups, and remained higher 1 hour after the bout. However, high physical fitness individuals presented higher mTreg frequency in all periods evaluated. A significantly mobilization of mTeff cells was identified in both groups immediately after HIIE. High physical fitness individuals displayed a decrease in mTeff cells bellow to baseline, while the frequency of mTeff remained higher in low physical fitness group 1 hour after the bout. The peripheral frequency of CD4 + CD25 + CD73 + T cells increased in a similar way immediately after the bout in both groups, returning to the baseline values 1 hour after exercise. No differences in CD4 + CD25 - CD73 + T cells were observed after HIIE in both groups. Our results highlight the impact of physical activity status in the redistribution of CD4+ T cells expressing ectonucleotidases in response to HIIE.

This study investigated the diversity, structure, dominant microbial populations, and their relationships with physical fitness (PF) and physical activity (PA) metrics within the gut microbiota of children by comparing the gut microbiome composition and functional differences across four groups: low PA-high PF, high PA-high PF, high PA-low PF, and low PA-low PF. A total of 6,074 children aged 6–9 years were selected from full-time ordinary primary and secondary schools. Based on the quartiles of PF and PA, we sampled 120 individuals from each of the four groups (30/group) and collected fecal samples for high-throughput sequencing to analyze the gut microbiome composition. This study revealed that children with high PF exhibited a more abundant and diverse gut microbiome within the same PA level group. Under high PA conditions, the Chao1 and Shannon indices of the high PF group were significantly higher. Different dominant microbial taxa were identified within each group, and specific microbial populations were significantly correlated with various physical and exercise-related indices. This study indicates that the composition of children’s gut microbiota varies significantly based on the combined levels of PA and PF. Children with high PF show greater microbial diversity within similar PA levels, particularly under high PA conditions.

Background: Spiritual reminiscence therapy (SRT), a type of spiritual integration in reminiscence therapy (RT), has shown its potential in providing a positive impact for older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Using a social identity approach, it is expected that SRT can help older people to deal with loneliness, anxiety, and depression by promoting a sense of social connectedness with other people. SRT might be particularly useful for a Malaysian population given the importance of religion and spirituality for Malaysian culture. The practice of SRT is increasing; however, limited studies have investigated the effectiveness of SRT for older people with loneliness, anxiety and depression and these studies have found mixed results. Aim: To determine if a SRT program is effective in reducing loneliness, anxiety and depression for older people living in a residential aged care facility in Malaysia and to investigate its acceptability to this population.Methods: Using the Psychotherapy Adaptation and Modification Framework, the SRT program was modified according to recommendations made by older Malaysian people (N=10) — modifications particularly related to cultural, religious and language differences. The adapted program was piloted with a convenience sample of older Malaysian people (N=10). It was well accepted by the pilot participants, providing a strong basis to conduct a randomised controlled study with older people living in a RACF in Malaysia.A randomised controlled trial design with qualitative components conducted concurrently and sequentially was used. This study was conducted in a RACF in Malaysia, involving permanent residents (N=34) who understood and spoke the Malay language and had been resident for more than four weeks. At recruitment, participants were screened with the Mini-Cog, the Loneliness screening tool, a short form of the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory and the 4-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups or a control group. Participants in the intervention groups received the SRT program in weekly 60–90 minute sessions for six weeks. The control group participated in activities such as painting, drawing and playing games over the same six weeks. Data were collected at pre-test, post-test, and three-month followup. The primary outcome measures were the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS) and the Malay version of the 14-item Geriatric Depression Scale (M-GDS-14). The measurement instruments were translated and the translation subsequently verified by translating backwards and forwards between English and Malay. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, the mean scores were compared at baseline, a week after intervention and at three-month follow-up.To investigate participants’ experiences of the program and its acceptability with this population, observations were recorded during the six weeks of intervention sessions. Seven participants in the intervention groups also participated in a focus group discussion (FGD) after completion of the intervention to share their experiences of the SRT program.Results: Of 180 residents, 34 participated, with 18 participants in the intervention groups and 16 in the control group. Participants in both groups were in the young old age group (Intervention: M = 67, SD = 4.67 and Control: M = 69, SD = 6.60). Chronic medical illness burden was low (M = 2.12, SD = 2.10). The dropout rate was 8.8%. The main effect between groups was not significant, suggesting no difference between the intervention groups and the control group for the UCLA Loneliness Scale, GAS and M-GDS-14 scale. Within-group analysis revealed that both the intervention groups and the control group showed a significant mean difference for the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the M-GDS-14 scale. Post hoc comparisons showed that UCLA Loneliness Scale mean scores for the intervention groups in the pre-test were significantly improved from the scores at three-month follow-up. UCLA Loneliness Scale mean scores for the control group showed a significant improvement from pre-test to post-test, but not between post-test and three-month follow-up. M-GDS-14 mean scores for both groups were significantly improved from pre-test to three-month follow-up. Analysis of focus group and observational data relating to participants’ experiences and acceptability of the SRT program revealed four themes: enthusiastic participation and enjoyment of the program, connection-making across boundaries between participants, use of the sessions as space for expressing and reflecting, and successful use of triggers.Conclusion: Although the findings showed no significant between-groups differences, there were significant within-groups differences for loneliness and depression. This finding suggests SRT is a worthwhile program and a future development of SRT among older people living in RACFs is supported. The significant within-group results for the control group on measures of loneliness and depression suggest the value of group based interventions in RACFs. While the findings did not confirm the effectiveness of SRT as a whole, they suggested that SRT was not only an acceptable and enjoyable experience for the participants, but developed a shared identity and connectedness across perceived differences, as social identity theory predicts.