title: Community-based exercise for chronic disease management: an Italian design for the United States?
abstract: Although only a small proportion of older adults in the United States engage in recommended amounts of physical exercise, the health benefits of exercise for this population and the potential for lowering health care costs are substantial. However, access to regular exercise programs for the frail elderly and individuals with disabilities remains limited. In the context of health reform and emerging opportunities in developing integrated systems of care, the experience in Tuscany in implementing a community-based program of exercise for the elderly should be of interest.
authors.affiliation: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA weinricm@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinrich
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.affiliation: Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale 11, Empoli, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
mesh_terms: D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation
keywords: chronic disease; exercise; stroke