The effect of an intensive health promotion program on diet, fitness and health parameters in older adults

Abstract

The effect of an intensive health promotion program on dietary intake, exercise calorie expenditure, serum lipids, and immune function was measured in 29 subjects and 29 controls, 60–70 years of age. The subjects and controls were recruited from the community and assigned randomly to study or control groups. The study group attended an 11-day residential multidisciplinary health promotion program at Canyon Ranch Health Resort and monthly follow-up sessions. Both groups received an individual preventive medicine consultation based on results from the baseline lab results and cardiac stress test. The intervention, which was highly experiential, included group nutrition education, exercise instruction and stress management, as well as a focus on positive aging. The nutrition education component included six hours of lecture/discussion on nutrition and a 2-hour supermarket tour. Data was collected on both groups at baseline, and 3- and 12-months post intervention. Dietary intake was estimated using the Arizona Food Frequency Questionnaire, a variation of the NCI Block Food Frequency Questionnaire. Fitness assessment included a maximal cardiac stress test, anthropometric measurements and an activity history. Lab tests included a complete lipid profile and a battery of immune function tests. Results showed significant differences between study and control groups in changes in percent calories from fat from baseline to post-intervention (−8.3% vs +2.0%), fitness levels (1.82 mets vs .43 mets), weekly exercise calorie expenditure (1035 vs 429), and natural killer cell activity (17.50 vs 4.50). There were no significant differences in weight or serum cholesterol levels between the two groups. In conclusion, both behavioral patterns of diet and exercise, as well as physiological parameters of fitness and health showed long term improvement in study participants when compared to controls following an intensive, experiential health promotion program.