Effects Of Exercise Classes And Subsequent Independent Exercise Practice On Physical Fitness In Older Adults

Abstract

PURPOSE: This study aimed to clarify the effects of instructor-led exercise classes and subsequent independent exercise practice on older adults’ physical fitness levels. METHODS: The participants were 19 community-dwelling elderly adults (7 males, 12 females, 69.4 ± 3.5yrs) who took part in exercise classes under the leadership of an expert instructor, held once a week over 10 weeks. They subsequently performed independent exercise practice following the same schedule for 1 year. The exercise program emphasized aerobic exercises such as walking, muscle strength training for the trunk and limbs, and recreational activities. All the participants completed physical fitness assessments before and after the 10-week instructor-led exercise classes and at the 1-year follow-up. This assessment comprised 12 items designed to evaluate physical fitness levels, including hand-grip strength, sit-up, sitting trunk flexion, standing on one leg with the eyes open, 10-m walking time, 10-m obstacle walk, functional reach, the 30-s chair sit to stand test, the timed up and go test, the 5-second stepping test, whole body reaction time, and the 6-minute walk test. The participants were instructed to wear the accelerometer on their waistline all day. RESULTS: The participation rate of exercise classes and exercise practice was 90.0 ± 11.0% and 76.5 ± 14.6%, respectively. Significant changes were observed in the 10-m walking time (pre: 5.80 ± 1.48 sec and post: 4.93 ± 0.57 sec, p<.05), 10-m obstacle walk (pre: 4.56 ± 0.82 sec and post: 3.88 ± 0.66 sec, p<.05), and timed up and go test (pre: 4.83 ± 0.59 sec and post: 4.33 ± 0.53 sec, p<.05) performance after completion of the 10-week program. Furthermore, these changes were maintained at the 1-year follow-up. Although no significant change was observed in the 6-minute walk test after the 10-week exercise classes, a significant change was apparent at the follow-up (pre: 629.9 ± 51.8 m and follow-up: 677.1 ± 54.7 m, p<.05). CONCLUSIONS:Our results clearly indicated that even low-frequency, continuous exercise can help improve and maintain physical fitness. However, probably because the independent exercise practice simply continued the activities of the 10-week exercise program, we observed no further effects by the 1-year follow-up.