title: Effect of a high-intensity functional exercise program on functional balance: preplanned subgroup analyses of a randomized controlled trial in residential care facilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether age, sex, depression, dementia disorder, nutritional status, or level of functional balance capacity influences the effect of a high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program on functional balance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Preplanned subgroup analyses of a randomized controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine residential care facilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred ninety-one people aged 65 to 100 dependent in activities of daily living and with Mini-Mental State Examination scores of 10 or greater.
  
  
  METHODS
  A high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program or a control activity, each comprising 29 sessions over 3 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional balance capacity was assessed blindly using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The BBS consists of 14 tasks, common in everyday life, such as standing up from sitting and, while standing, reaching forward or turning 360°. Interactions between allocation to activity group and each subgroup were evaluated according to the intention-to-treat principle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The subgroup analyses revealed no statistically significant interaction for age, sex, depression, dementia disorder, nutritional status, or level of functional balance capacity at 3 (P=.65, .65, .51, .78, .09, .67, respectively) or 6 (P=.69, .62, .20, .94, .48, .85, respectively) months. In addition, at 3 and 6 months there was no significant interaction for cognitive level (P=.28, .47, respectively) or number of depressive symptoms (P=.85, .49, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older age, female sex, depression, mild to moderate dementia syndrome, malnutrition, and severe physical impairment do not seem to have a negative effect on functional balance from a high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise program. Consequently, people with these characteristics in residential care facilities should not be excluded from offers of rehabilitation including high-intensity exercises.
authors: Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. hakan.littbrand@germed.umu.se
authors: Håkan
authors: H
authors: Littbrand
authors: Maine
authors: M
authors: Carlsson
authors: Lillemor
authors: L
authors: Lundin-Olsson
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Lindelöf
authors: Lena
authors: L
authors: Håglin
authors: Yngve
authors: Y
authors: Gustafson
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: Rosendahl
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012112:Residential Facilities; D055070:Resistance Training; D012737:Sex Factors