PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS TARGETING OLDER ADULTS - A CRITICAL-REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Background: Although many of the chronic conditions plaguing older pop ulations are preventable through appropriate lifestyle interventions s uch as regular physical activity, persons in this age group represent the most sedentary segment of the adult population. The purpose of the current paper was to provide a critical selected review of the scient ific literature focusing on interventions to promote physical activity among older adults. Methods: Comprehensive computerized searches of t he recent English language literature aimed at physical activity inter vention in adults aged 50 years and older, supplemented with visual sc ans of several journal on aging, were undertaken. Articles were consid ered to be relevant for the current review if they were community-leas ed, employed a randomized design or a quasi-experimental design with a n appropriate comparison group, and included information on interventi on participation rates, pre- and post-intervention physical activity l evels, and/or pre/past changes in relevant physical performance measur es. Results: Twenty-nine studies were identified that fit the stated c riteria. Among the strengths of the studies reviewed were reasonable p hysical activity participation rates and relatively long study duratio ns. Among the weaknesses of the literature reviewed were the relative lack of specific behavioral or program-based strategies aimed at promo ting physical activity participation, as well as the dearth of studies aimed at replication, generalizability of interventions to important subgroups, implementation, and cost-effectiveness evaluation. Conclusi ons: Recommendations for future scientific endeavors targeting older a dults are discussed.