THE EFFECTS OF ATTENDANCE AND EFFORT ON OUTCOMES AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN A LONG-TERM EXERCISE PROGRAM

To determine if attendance and effort could differentiate changes in c ognitive and physical functioning, 66 older adults received a prescrip tion heart rate to be achieved during supervised regular exercise sess ions over a 9-month period. These 30-min sessions of aerobic training on a cycle ergometer were conducted three times per week. Cognitive va riables and physical functioning were measured at baseline and followi ng 4.5 months and 9 months of training. Attendance and effort scores ( ATTEFF) were used to divide subjects into low ATTEFF (N = 29) and high ATTEFF (N = 37) groups. Following 9 months of training these groups w ere significantly different on life satisfaction and selected measures of health perception, but not on measures of either mental status or submaximum or resting heart rate. Maximum physical functioning improve d within both groups, although the high ATTEFF group had improved more than the low ATTEFF group at posttest. Attendance and effort appear t o differentiate older adults on selected measures of health perception and maximum physical functioning following a 9-month exercise program . (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.