title: Be Well: results of a nutrition, exercise, and weight management intervention among at-risk older adults.
abstract: The objective of this article is to test the effectiveness of a multifaceted exercise and nutritional education intervention for chronically ill, community-dwelling older adults. A pre/post cohort design was implemented with measures of physical activity, fitness, depression, and anthropometry collected via 4-month in-person interview and telephone follow-up. The study was conducted at two community-based senior centers in the Los Angeles area and participants (n=62) were older adults aged 60 or older, with multiple chronic conditions, with one or more emergency department visits or hospital admissions in the previous 6 months, and at nutritionally moderate to high risk. The intervention was a fitness program providing nutritional counseling, low-impact exercise, and weight management. Results revealed significant improvements for hours of weekly exercise (Z = -4.3, p < .001), daily walking distance (Z = -5.7, p < .001), performance on fitness tests, depression (Z = 3.9, p < .001), and body measurements were observed. Findings speak to the healthy benefits of exercise and good nutrition as possible alternatives or adjuncts to pharmacotherapy for weight loss and depression.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexis Coulourides
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kogan
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.forename: Bonita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Skip
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Halloran
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomason
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Enguidanos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003376:Counseling; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D015444:Exercise; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010809:Physical Fitness; D064407:Senior Centers; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs
keywords: education; exercise; nutrition; older adults; weight loss