title: [Physical and mental features of elderly persons who experienced group exercise for care prevention].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to clarify the physical and mental features of elderly persons who experienced group exercise for care prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  A group consisting of 92 elderly persons who had finished the group exercise program, one of the care prevention projects, in a town was surveyed (the experienced group) by anonymous self-administrative questionnaire. One hundred twenty-three elderly persons who had been attending community meetings were used as the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Valid responses were obtained from 66 persons in the experienced group (valid response rate: 71.7%) and 102 persons in the control group (valid response rate: 82.9%). Fifty-nine sex-and age-matched persons from each of the groups were selected for the analysis. Significant differences were not observed in the attributes between the two groups. In 4 of 5 items of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, the percentages of respondents who answered "possible to do alone" were significantly higher in the experienced group. In 6 of 14 items of "painful activities of daily life", the percentages of respondents were significantly lower in the experienced group. In 3 of 20 items on "relation with society", the scores were significantly higher in the experienced group. More persons actively went out or participated in social events in the experienced group. In the items of depression, the scores were significantly lower in the experienced group. There were significantly more persons who exercised daily in the experienced group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was easy to expect that the experienced group can maintain their functions in daily life and their physical and mental activities. Thus, it is suggested that group exercise has good effects on elderly persons in terms of care prevention.
authors: Graduate School of Wakayama Medical University, Japan. kaoru@mb.aikis.or.jp
authors: Kaoru
authors: K
authors: Uchiyama
authors: Kazuko
authors: K
authors: Yamada
authors: Ikuharu
authors: I
authors: Morioka
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires