Effects of an Active Music Therapy Program on Functional Fitness in Community Older Adults.

Abstract

Health problems common among older adults living in community settings include a lack of functional fitness. Many studies have confirmed that exercises and static music therapy improve physical and psychological health problems. Exercise programs involving music have a higher frequency of attendance and motivation than other exercise programs. Active participation in active group music therapy results in better therapeutic effects. This study was designed to test the effectiveness of a 3-month active group music therapy program on the functional fitness of community older adults in Taiwan. A quasi-experimental design with repeated measures was applied. A convenience cluster sample of older adults was drawn from seven senior-citizen activity centers in southern Taiwan. All participants were assigned to either an experimental group (n = 77) or a comparison group (n = 69) based on the requests of each senior center. The experimental group participated in the active group music therapy program for 3 months (twice per week and 60 minutes per session). The comparison group maintained their daily activities. Each participant's level of functional fitness was measured at baseline and at 1 and 3 months after the start of the intervention. Seventy-one participants in the experimental group and 62 participants in the comparison group completed the 3-month study. At the 1-month measurement, the experimental group had greater improvements in cardiopulmonary fitness, upper body flexibility, lower body flexibility, upper limb muscle power, lower limb muscle endurance, and balance than the comparison group (all ps < .05). These significant improvements persisted through the 3-month intervention (all ps < .05). Active group music therapy is an effective complementary and alternative therapy for improving six items of functional fitness in community-dwelling older adults. Healthcare professionals may incorporate this active group music therapy program as a health promotion activity for older adults living in community settings.